Once Upon A Time: In the West Indies
by QM382
Summary: After making a deal with the infamous Rumplestilskin, Edward Kenway is reunited with his wife Caroline. But their newfound peace is not the happy ending they hoped for.
1. Chapter 1: The Deal

The midnight stars shine brightly over the harbor at Great Inagua. The_ Jackdaw_ moaned and groaned with her storm-worn wood settling in the calm waters after braving a massive storm. Inside the Captain's Quarters, Captain Edward Kenway sat behind his desk in the dark moonlit cabin, clenching a fist in one hand, and a cracked picture of his beloved in the other. He stared, glared actually, at two gold Reales on the desk before him and screamed a speech in his head.

"Why can't I take more of these bloody coins? Just a few thousand fucking more and then I can finally be with my dear Caroline again. Just a few more years, then I can lay down my sword, and pick up a rose," he thought to himself. There was a knock on the hatch leading to the main deck. Captain Kenway opened the hatch, but there was nothing and no one around. So he closed the hatch and turned around to go back to his chair, when a stranger was already sitting in it, and laughed at him.

Clearly not one of Kenway's crew, this man wore a gold leaf tunic with a red jacket made from crocodile hide , in a design completely alien to the pirate, with a creepy, dinosaur-reminiscent collar touching the imp's neck. His teeth were yellowed with decay and age without facial signs, and his greasy hair hung to his shoulders. A mischievous grin crossed his filthy, inhuman face as he rose to his feet.

Eager to wipe that grin away, Edward drew a pistol, which he leveled at the intruder. "Who the bloody hell are you? Take a step forward and you're a dead man," he warned.

"Ah ah ah," the stranger said mockingly, "it'll take so much more than that to kill me deary! And good luck living long enough to find out what will. As for the name, ya haven't earned the right yet!" He had an oddly high pitched yet raspy voice.

"The crew is on board with us. They'll hear this shot and come running. Now get off my ship before you get carried off in a box!"

"I'm immortal... weren't you listening? You cannot kill me deary, so please stop wasting everyone's time and just ask me what you summoned me here for! You and I both know there is something amiss! Here you are, Captain of a fine, beautiful, and tough ship in the West Indies!" The man changed his voice to a condescending, more manly tone. "And yet, all this power isn't quite satisfactory. You want freedom! But you also want love! And you can't have both."

Edward was indeed curious. This bastard had some nerve boarding his ship uninvited. What could he possibly want from the _Jackdaw_ and her crew? Gold, most likely. Adventure, perhaps. Maybe he wished to sign on? No, this man possessed far too much guile for a pirate. The only way Edward could learn this stranger's motivations, he realized, was by playing along.

Edward sheathed his pistol. "Alright," he said in a polite tone, "I won't shoot. Who are you, stranger, and what do you want?"

The man walked out from behind the desk. "Rumplestilskin," the stranger introduced himself, rolling the 'r' in his name, and bowing low as if to a king. "charmed to meet you, Edward Kenway, minus your little tantrum there. Contrary to what ya think though, I'm your friend."

"I don't believe we've met before, Mr. Rumplestilskin, but somehow you learned exactly where to find me. Explain yourself."

"You're easy to track, Captain. You and your fellow pirates leave a swath of destruction across these waters, capturing ships and raiding plantations everywhere you sail. Yet despite all the riches you've gained, the home you built, you are still not satisfied. Something you left far behind in another world enters your thoughts every day. Caroline, no? A lovely name for such a precious deary."

Edward felt rage boil within him upon hearing the name of his beloved wife. "What do you know about Caroline, wretch?!" He demanded.

"I know that she awaits your return. I know that she has loved you from afar, but I also know that you, given your nature, cannot give up this life as we saw with the challenge her dad imposed."

The pirate captain relaxed slightly. "You must know her father, then. Right?"

"Ah! That's not the point. You want freedom, you have your ship! You want love, but you don't have her. What if I were to tell you, I could bring her to you tomorrow?" Rumplestiltskin proposed, now not blinking anymore, and grinning from ear to ear. Captain Kenway looked back behind him at the broken picture of Caroline, and agreed. Everything Rumplestiltskin said was true.

"Yes you are right, I do want her more than anything. I would stop being a pirate were it not for the gold I need to travel back home."

"Strike a deal with me, a problem with gold there'll no longer be, and you'll be free!" Rumple eerily chanted.

"You take me for an impulsive fool? Every man wants a trade off. There must be some sort of payment for you if I agree to this deal. What's your price?" Kenway was sad but certainly not stupid. Rumplestiltskin laughed again.

"Right you are, mate! My price for you, is the _Jackdaw. _You want to have your love? It'll cost you your ship, forever. Do we have a deal?"

The cost for Kenway was immense. Sacrifice his ship? What would become of her crew? How could he remain their captain if he and his pirate brothers had no vessel to call their own? Then again, the _Jackdaw_ wasn't the only ship plying these waters. The pirates could easily capture another; start again with a new home. Besides, more than one vessel regularly made port here at Great Inagua, all of them crewed by sailors loyal to Kenway. And Rumplestilskin was taking only the ship, not any of Kenway's wealth. Perhaps his price wasn't so steep after all.

"Very well," Kenway agreed, "the _Jackdaw_ goes with you, but Caroline stays with me, along with my crew."

"yes yes yes, the girl stays with you and don't worry about a thing, she'll never leave your side again, Captain. Or perhaps you should call me that." Rumplestilskin let out a coarse cackle.

Ignoring this rude remark, Kenway shook hands with the sorcerer.

"Remember, Edward," Rumplestilskin said slyly as he released Kenway's hand, "all magic, come with a price!"

"Be there some actual form to sign as proof of our deal?" Kenway asked, wanting a record for future refrence should a fight between them spark in the future.

"Funny you should ask, can you read?"

The sorcerer waved his right hand as if holding an invisible banner and in a cloud of red smoke an incredibly long scroll was conjured.

"Just sign on the dotted line," Kenway complied, but as Rumplestiltskin noticed, with his left hand not the usually seen right hand.

"What an unusual quirk! Such talent, such skill! Careful deary, when it comes to me there's only one way to battle me, fighting fire with stones does no good deary. In this world or the next Captain Kenway, the _Jackdaw_ will be mine!" He snapped his fingers and Kenway found himself standing on the cliff overlooking the harbor. Behind Edward stood his mansion home, while around him slept the bodies of his drunken crew. Down in the harbor below, the _Jackdaw_ silently made sail, Rumplestilskin standing at the helm. Kenway watched with sorrow as his beloved brig sailed out to sea without her captain and crew.

His sorrow was swiftly washed away by anger. Rumplestilskin had the Jackdaw, but Edward would not allow him to keep the brig. That damn shitbird possessed no right to walk her decks, let alone command her. That didn't relieve the pain of watching her depart.

A lonely feeling settled deep in Kenway's gut. Thankfully, he would not remain alone long.

For tomorrow bore witness to the Kenway family's arrival.


	2. Chapter 2: The Sorceress

The year was 1718. Rum flowed and laughter echoed inside the sturdy walls of the _Loaded Gunwale_ public house. Men and women from across the Colonies congregated here, conducting business or enjoying themselves. Gambling, drinking, and whoring were all expected (and tolerated) activities here in the port of Nassau. This was a free island, home to free people.

Among the many brigands inside the public house was Edward Kenway, seated alone and enjoying his first bottle of the evening. The _Jackdaw_ had just returned from a successful raid upon a convoy of English merchant ships. Kenway, having arranged the stolen cargo's sale, was celebrating. Soon Kenway would possess enough wealth to return overseas, then he and Caroline could live like nobility in London. Kenway's daydreaming about Caroline was interrupted when a tavern wench joined him at the table.

This young woman was dressed like any other common whore on the island, wearing a rather filthy white dress with a loosened corset. Her dress sported a low cut, exposing a generous amount of cleavage from her breasts. Her full face and brown eyes, along with her jet-black hair, gave this woman an uncommonly beautiful appearance. Her presence made one simply cheer out loud. Why had this woman approached him? Kenway assumed that she must be a prostitute looking for another client.

"Having a good time there, sailor?" The pretty wench asked with a smile.

"Why yes," Kenway replied cheerfully. "Care to join me, lass?" He offered the young woman a drink.

"Absolutely." She accepted a full tankard from Kenway. "I'm Regina, by the way."

"Edward. So, what brings a lovely face like yours to this cesspool of an inn?" Kenway asked, and Regina led him upstairs to a private room, closing the doors behind them. For the next few hours it seemed, Kenway was able to forget his woes and embrace the present, his heart pounded and his breath hastened, as his mind and mood was cleared and uplifted with the sudden and welcome acts of pleasure. When it was finished, there was a deafening scream, and then a lot of other screams.

"What in the hell is going on down there, Regina? Are we in danger? Or are they having as much fun as we just did?" He playfully asked. The screams had stopped, and now the noise of shattering glass replaced it, then that too silenced.

"I should have told you before," the wench said now with a hint of a Spanish accent. Kenway turned away from her and placed his head on the door to listen for any voices or footsteps, something to tell him they were not alone anymore, but he heard nothing. All the candles in the love room Kenway and the wench were in immediately extinguished themselves, the window shattered, and the air grew colder. "Regina is not my name," the wench tried to continue. Kenway put his clothes back on, shivering in the night air, and then returned to the door. The wench was about to stand beside him and help, but she gasped loudly, and in immense agony. A tall, sexy, and glamorous woman wearing black from head to toe, with a dress that had a diamond collar and matching diamond cuffs cut in the medieval style, had punched her cursed hand through the chest of the poor wench, and when the hand released its grip on her body, it held the wench's heart, still beating and glowing bright red. The brunette woman wearing black smiled widely like a child on Christmas morning, and finished the wench's sentence after squeezing the heart to dark black ash, killing the useless whore.

"It's mine. _I_ am Regina, dear. And you should be quite proud of yourself! Not bad for an old hag of a pirate like you," she smiled and chuckled, smugly.

"Who the hell are you? And why did you kill her?" Kenway asked in alarm. Regina waved her hand in a counter-clockwise motion, and every corpse in the tavern below vanished.

"I have no idea what you're saying. Are you alright? You don't look well dear, get some sleep, you'll feel much better, trust me," she grinned again, lunging her upper half of her body towards Kenway, offering a strangely shiny, huge red apple. Kenway took the apple in his hungover state, and passed out in an instant on the floor. Regina had tricked her way into Kenway's life with a phantom wench she conjured. She now welcomed a very real role in this part of her plan, and took Kenway to her castle for further developments.

* * *

Kenway awoke strapped to a rack inside of a mysterious room. The air felt like an arctic winter. He'd been relieved of his weapons. Looking around, he noticed the room was outfitted like a medieval torture chamber, complete with a Catherine wheel and even a pendulum. The mysterious woman named Regina stood before him, wearing the same back dress as in the tavern.

"Good, you're finally awake," she said, sounding pleased. "How do you feel?"

Edward did a quick mental check of his body for injuries. "I feel like shit, woman," he replied with a groan.

"What a shame." Regina picked a sword up off a nearby table. Kenway noticed it was one of his own cutlasses. "I know of you, Edward Kenway. As a pirate, a killer, you are unmatched by your fellows. Tales say you've cleared entire ships of their crews with just your blades and pistols." Regina grew an unlikely smile upon her milky white and smooth face. Her eyes were so dark, they looked dilated; like the eyes of a shark sensing blood nearby.

"Why does that matter?" Kenway asked, wanting to hear her demands and be done with this nonsense. This witch was trying his patience.

"It matters because I could use a man with your skills. For all our power, Edward, we too are fallible. As we speak, there are forces that seek our destruction. Or rather, _my_ destruction. Am I right in assuming you don't think I want that to happen? Or shall I continue displaying my power?"

"Why not simply crush them with your magic?"

"Enough games you fool!" Kenway felt an invisible hand wrap around his throat, choking him. Regina began to examine the cutlass. "Those who wish me dead are not all wielders of magic. Most are pathetic... commoners like you."

Upon hearing the word 'commoner,' Kenway yanked with all his might at the bindings restraining him. Her choices of words indicated that she wasn't just a mere witch from a dark fairy tale, but actual _royalty_! Royals were the most hated of all pirates' enemies, representing the very pinnacle of the crushing society they fled from. No matter what this sorceress, this Regina asked of him, Kenway would never comply. No royal, no matter how wealthy or powerful, deserved the friendship of a pirate.

"You will obey me, Edward Kenway. You shall dispatch those who seek to kill me. You will be rewarded greatly. All the gold, women, and drink beyond your wildest dreams."

"Too late, Regina," Edward growled. "I can tell you're a queen. It's in your dress and your speech. I came to Nassau in order to escape from the likes of uptight royals. You _won't_ have my help!"

Regina lowered the cutlass, a look of disgustingly sarcastic sympathy appeared on her now ridiculous face. "Awww, is this to do with your dear beloved Caroline?" She pouted.

"How the hell do you know of her?"

"I have eyes everywhere, in every land dear. You will obey me child! I am your superior! And I can cut you down to size until your in a jail so small and deep that this!" she held his tri corner hat up to his face. "Will be the only shelter over your damn head! You will want to obey me Edward," she punched her hand into his chest, and groped at his still beating heart, causing Edward to scream in unfathomable amounts of pain he never before experienced, and Regina smiled once more.

"When you hold a heart in your hand, you control it. Obey me boy, or you will die a most terrible death," Regina released her grip on his heart so fiercely, that he bounced backwards from the force and hit his head on the stone wall behind him.

In a flash of light, Edward vanished from the torture chamber, and reappeared safe in the _Jackdaw_'s main cabin. His possessions had all been returned. Why had the sorceress let him live? She appeared ready to kill Edward with his own damn heart. Deciding that only time would answer such a question, the pirate collapsed onto his bed, exhausted from the night's ordeal.

* * *

While Kenway was asleep, the Evil Queen locked him in one of her towers, and then placed a spell over the entire castle preventing Edward, even if he broke down the door, from leaving. She wanted him delayed, and incapable of stopping her next move. The Evil Queen wanted Kenway to help her with a problem, but she never told him what that problem was, at least not yet. After he refused her, she locked him away, and now would add Captain Kenway to her list of denizens to make more than unhappy. If there was one thing she hated more than other people being happy, it was other people having true love. So she concluded logically in her uneasy mind that she needed Kenway broken in order for him to submit to her plan. Her first step: isolation. The Evil Queen still wore the long black dress with the diamond collar and trailing sleeves, but now she lowered its neck line considerably, added a corset and a red velvet dress underneath the black one, and took off her leather gloves. She was on pure seduction techniques now, with the first stage of her plan in motion. She paced the floors of her private chambers, running her hands through her hair, stressing over how she would find friends of Kenway, and noticed her mirror in the center of the room. As she stopped walking she waved a hand in its direction, and it flashed gold for a moment. Then an image of another pirate, much older than young, attractive Kenway, appeared and was wearing a black overcoat, with flaming cannon fuses hanging from his tricorner hat. The Evil Queen watched, and listened to a conversation on the shores near the docks in Nassau. Luckily, it was the same port that she was in. The older pirate in black was talking to another pirate, a very young one that looked almost childlike, with a baby face and long, strangely clean hair.

"Kid, you will absolutely not go after him! Do you hear me boy? That's a fucking order! We wait right here for Kenway to return! Should any fool dare to challenge us while we wait, I will do the fun and kill him! Now sit and enjoy your rum before I take a swig! Kenway and I will share glory, gold and cannon before the week is out, I know it," the older pirate laughed, saying the last phrase of the sentence to himself.

"I like him already! A friend and a child befriended my dear Kenway, but now their friendship's been torn asunder. Such a gripping sob story. What do you think Mirror? Should I do it to both or just him?" The Evil Queen asked. But do what? The mirror already knew exactly what.

"If I were you majesty, I'd choose the older pirate in black. He seems closer to Kenway; it would save your soul and weaken Kenway," The Evil Queen needed no more agreement than that, and walked swiftly down the stone halls, putting out wall torches as she moved. Mirrors scattered on the walls around her flashed and spoke as she continued to exit her palace.

"Ready my carriage! I have a places to be and beards to blacken," the Queen chuckled.

"Your majesty, what have you decided?" the Mirror asked.

"I need my pirate Captain alone, to do that, I'll give him what first tipped me off the edge: betrayal from a friend." And she left the castle. Her black, torchlit carriage was waiting for her, and she looked up at the sun noting the time of day, and smiled as she was right on time. Her carriage screamed down the forested roads to a marketplace right by the docks. She got out of her carriage, the townspeople of Nassau ran in fear and slammed the doors to their humble homes. The pirates, though, didn't seem to care about her and paid no attention. Some whistled at her, to which the Evil Queen's eyes flashed purple for a second, and their tongues fell on the sand before them. The Queen continued walking towards the docks in broad daylight, unhindered by anyone. The younger pirate was sitting on a log near the beach, and the older Pirate was finishing a bottle and starting another as the orange sun set to their left sank below the horizon.

"My my, what a… great sunset," it was difficult for the Evil Queen to say positive things. This was loud enough to catch the Pirate's attention however, and he stood and turned around facing her. He smashed the bottle on the beach and walked forcefully towards her.

"Who the bloody devil are you? Ye best scurry on out of here, it be highly bad luck for your pretty kind to enter these parts, wench," Blackbeard's flaming hat lit both his own face and Regina's, yet he still didn't recognize her.

"You should be less concerned with little old me, and more about the life of your dearly departed friend, Edward Kenway," now, both Kidd and Blackbeard drew their swords. The Queen raised a hand and her face simply snorted at their attempts.

"Lucky for you I didn't come here to fight," she looked at Blackbeard. Kidd, however, had moved in her way and stood in front of Blackbeard, this annoyed her greatly.

"You! Out of the way!" She waved a hand across her face, and in purple smoke Kidd was gone.

"Alright, you got me undivided attention, what the hell are you here for and what do you know about Kenway?!" Blackbeard shouted and got right up into the Queen's face. The Queen, smiled and her eyes again lit bright purple but this time, remained lit so for the duration of their conversation now…

"Oh I just, heard tales of your ship, the _Queen Anne's Revenge_, and of your relentless wicked deeds, and thought 'now there's a man who can get things done.' How would you like to complete a mission for a fair, powerful Queen, one more time? With each slow, sultry word she spoke, she ran her hand from Blackbeard's belt, up to his chin, sending him into an entranced state of high attraction, and emotion.

"Anything for you my love," He answered softly back.

"You know of Edward Kenway, I need you to kill him. Cut him down, break his back. And only then can we be together forever," She sealed the deal with a kiss right on the lips, and Blackbeard took his hat off as her eyes went dark. She reached down and picked up a coin that she hid in her hand; it was solid gold and from another realm. Before I go, did you drop this?" The Evil Queen hadn't blinked for a while and was hell bent on cursing Blackbeard, paying absolute full attention to every detail. Blackbeard took it from her but shook his head.

"Can't say I have, doesn't ring a bell in my eyes,"

"Look closer dear," she frowned, angered and annoyed.

"Oh wait, I… I remember now," he stammered.

"You remember what dear?" Regina hissed

"I remember, Kenway, must be killed," Blackbeard looked up from the coin which turned black in his hands and disappeared before it hit the sand when he dropped it. Regina too was no where to be seen.

With her curse successful, Regina needed nothing more done... for now.

* * *

November 22nd, 1718, off Ocracoke Inlet. Just minutes ago, Kenway had been trying to convince his old friend Edward Thatch (Blackbeard) to rejoin his fellow pirates at New Providence Island. Now he and Blackbeard stood aboard the _Jackdaw_ in a fight for their lives. Kenway took the helm, steering the brig into the fray. A squadron of Royal Navy warships, two men o' war and three frigates, had opened fire on the camp, spurring the pirates to retaliate.

"Fear not, boys!" Thatch shouted from the Jackdaw's quarterdeck. "Today we send the King's finest to their graves!"

After scrambling through the burning camp to his ship's helm, Kenway gave the order to make sail. With cannon ready and sails set, the pirate brig entered the fray, her black flag flying proudly.

The foremost man o' war turned to port, ready to unleash a tremendous volley on the _Jackdaw_. Kenway steered his brig to starboard, countering that maneuver, then ordered a volley of heavy shot fired at the man o' war. The _Jackdaw_ rolled to port when the guns roared. Aboard the man o' war, fires broke out along her hull and timbers fell loose, tumbling into the sea. Screams of injured men echoed from within her gun decks.

The _Jackdaw_ steered alongside the mighty vessel's starboard side. Pirates began leaping from the brig, climbing their way up their enemy's hull and onto her decks. The clash of cutlasses and the discharging of flintlocks carried down to the brig's quarterdeck.

"Get aboard her," Kenway yelled to his crew. "Give 'em no quarter!"

Kenway left the _Jackdaw_'s wheel and hoisted himself up onto the British vessel's main deck, with Thatch following close behind. The two pirates immediately engaged the sailors and marines who resisted. Kenway blocked a cutlass blow from a marine, stabbing the man through his chest. Thatch waved his cutlass wildly at a pair of sailors, yelling and cursing as he fought.

"Isn't this grand, Edward?!" Thatch shouted as he struck down an officer.

Before Kenway could answer, he found that another cutlass blade had connected with one of his. Swinging around to face his new opponent, Kenway found himself staring into the wide pupils of Edward Thatch. Fear and hesitation radiated from his eyes, an unnerving switch from Thatch's forceful personality.

"What are you doing, Thatch?" Kenway asked with alarm.

"I'm sorry Edward, but a bitch calling herself Regina wants you dead. If I'm to live, you must die."

The two former friends dueled for a short while, until Kenway delivered a killing blow to Thatch's neck. He fell to the ground bleeding and gurgling, clutching at his wounded neck.

"In a world without gold," Thatch managed to say, "we might've been heroes."

So did Blackbeard, in the thirty-eighth year of his life, die. Kenway had just killed one of his closest friends. Sorrow filled his heart. Then someone caught his eye. An officer, standing on the man o' war's quarterdeck, was looking straight down at Kenway and Thatch's body. This officer, Edward noticed by the slender shape of his body, was no officer at all.

It was the sorceress Regina.

She'd been present at the battle all along. Perhaps she even tipped off the English about Edward Thatch's location. No matter her reason for being here, Kenway knew she had to die.

"You!" Kenway shouted, attempting to level a pistol at her. But before he could fire, a marine knocked him overboard. Upon surfacing, Kenway swam back to the Jackdaw, climbed aboard, and steered her to safety. The battle was lost, he knew, and so was Thatch.

All thanks to a goddamn sorceress.


	3. Chapter 3: The Reunion

"Lads, it appears that we are without a ship..."

Edward Kenway spoke these words to his woken, sober, upset crew, who were assembled in the lush garden outside of the Kenway mansion. The atmosphere surrounding the pirates was tense enough to cut with a blade. Now without a ship, the entire crew had all become distraught, uncertain about their next course of action. If Kenway didn't choose his words carefully, he could easily end up deposed from the captaincy.

"...but we are not without hope," Kenway continued.

"Where the hell is the _Jackdaw_?!" cried the Bosun, interrupting his Captain.

"She was stolen, Rick. Probably by some blockheads with too much rum in their bellies. We need to set out and search for our missing brig."

"And how do we go about that?" asked Anne Bonny, the _Jackdaw_'s Quartermaster.

"All of you know that I've built a successful trading company here. Those ships sailing to and from this harbor? Sure, they fly the flags of various nations, but their true loyalty is to _this_ nation, lads. Every man who captains one of those vessels has sailed with me before. I trust all of them with my life. Therefore, I propose that we commandeer the next ship that makes port, and use her to find the _Jackdaw_."

Fortunately, Kenway's idea was met with no objections from the crew. One pirate appeared ready to protest, when another man shouted "sail, ho!"

Kenway rushed to the cliff edge. A ship, a brigantine flying English colors, had sailed into the harbor. She was traveling full, judging by her relatively low waterline. Her sails were set to half as she steadily approached the pier. A rowboat carrying a pilot was already on its way to meet the vessel.

The Captain turned back to his crew. "There's our new ship," Kenway called out, pointing a finger down towards the brigantine. "I advise all of you to grab your kit and pack well. We'll put to sea before nightfall."

The crew dispersed, while Kenway made his way down to the pier. Anne accompanied him, walking beside her Captain like an apprentice with her master.

Down in the harbor, the brigantine was already being secured to the pier by longshoremen. She was a long, rather sleek vessel, with a hull built significantly more narrow than the _Jackdaw_'s. She carried seven cannons per side, along with two swivel guns mounted near her helm. A single rowboat was mounted on her stern. Beneath the boat were two windows, along with her nameplate. The plate read _Adventure_.

Standing near the _Adventure_'s port quarter, Kenway called for the captain. Seconds later, a tall, mustached man wearing an overcoat, appeared at the rail.

"Hail, Edward!" the man said cheerfully.

"Welcome back, Phineas," Edward replied. "Here to trade, are you?"

"Aye. We've got a hold filled with rum and other goodies to sell. Personally I look forward to visiting the brothel."

"Is that so? Well, get comfortable, because I need to commandeer the _Adventure_."

Phineas peered over his shoulder, nodded, then turned back to Kenway. "Can we discuss this later, Edward? Someone aboard wishes to speak with you."

Someone? Edward wondered as he climbed the _Adventure_'s gangway. He turned aft once aboard. A woman's eyes met Kenway's own.

His spirit soared. The tender, loving eyes belonged to no other than Caroline Scott-Kenway.

* * *

"Caroline!" Edward sprinted across the deck and embraced his wife. They kissed passionately.

"I missed you," Caroline said when the kiss ended. "Never thought I'd see you again."

"Nor I," said Kenway. "Glad you made the journey safely. Let's get you up to the house."

"You own a house?"

"Aye. A whole mansion. One fit for a beauty like you."

The couple walked arm in arm off the pier, through the bustling village, and up to the Kenway mansion. Caroline found herself surprised by the home's superb condition. Despite being out in the middle of the Caribbean, this mansion possessed all the luxuries of even the wealthiest London estates. One room, a library, was lined with bookshelves and works of art, while the main hall featured an ornately decorated dining table. Edward had assembled a magnificent home, one that any man would have been proud to call his own.

Edward led Caroline into the mansion's master bedroom, which housed a four-poster bed wide enough to support the two lovers.

"Welcome, Caroline," said Kenway as he removed his holsters and sword belt, "to our new love nest." Edward took Caroline in his arms and untied her dress, letting it cascade to the floor. Her pale flesh shone in the morning sun.

And the two made love like newlyweds for the next several hours. When it ended, Kenway stared up at the ceiling, then at Caroline, and saw that she had fallen asleep. Kenway brushed her long hair away from her forehead, then gently kissed her. For the first time, in a long time, Kenway felt truly at peace. It seemed as if time had stopped, just for him and his loving wife.

This moment of bliss came to a sudden end with a knock at the bedroom door. Kenway climbed out of bed in response. Caroline stirred awake. After hastily donning his boots and trousers, Kenway answered the door.

A chambermaid stood in the hallway. Her cheeks blushed noticeably with embarrassment when she noticed Kenway's bare chest.

"Master Kenway," said the maid, "please forgive the intrusion, but there's a woman here to see you."

"Do you mean the one in this room?" Kenway asked jokingly, indicating Caroline.

"No sir, a different woman. She just walked up from town. She's injured, Master Kenway."

"Injured, you say? I'll be right out."

Kenway shut the door and proceeded to redress. He then left the bedroom, slinging his holster about his broad shoulders.

The woman that the chambermaid mentioned awaited Kenway in the library, seated near the fireplace. She was a young woman, about the same age as Caroline, with milky white skin and striking black hair. Her royal blue dress, once regal, was filthy and torn. Several twigs hung in her hair, while her bare feet were caked in mud. Thankfully they'd been (mostly) cleaned before she entered the house. Dried blood clung to her left upper arm, where a poorly dressed wound cut across her shoulder. Her youthful faced displayed a hardened expression of someone who'd recently endured great hardship. Kenway thought that she looked, for all intents and purposes, like a princess forced to walk through a jungle; a shipwreck survivor.

Kenway took a seat across from the young woman. "You look awful, lass," he said rather bluntly while settling into the armchair. "How did you end up like this?"

The woman looked up at Kenway. Her lovely brown eyes met the pirate's own blue pair. "Two nights ago, our ship sailed into a horrible storm. I was washed overboard before I could get below. The swells carried me to this island's shores."

"You were alone on deck?"

"Yes. As far as I know, no one saw me go over. No one else came ashore with me. As we sailed past this island, my husband mentioned that there was a settlement here, and that you ruled the island."

"Your husband was mostly correct, lass. I live here, aye, but I'm no governor. I just look after this place and its people. But I am the closest thing to a governor that this island has."

"Well, that's good to know." The young woman's face appeared to soften at this news. Perhaps hiking through the jungle had indeed been worth the effort.

"You went through a lot of trouble to find me. What is it you need, lass?"

"Snow, please."

"Beg your pardon?"

"Snow White. That's my name. Now, I need your help getting back to my husband."

Kenway let out a brief laugh of surprise. Such a simple task! Somehow Kenway thought that ought to be the least of her worries. Here she was, a respectable young lady, shipwrecked on an island home to a nest of bloody pirates. A rough situation, to be sure. Not to mention, her name sounded like it was written by one of the prostitutes down at the brothel. They came up with all sorts of goofy titles for themselves and others.

"Alright Snow," Kenway continued. "We'll get you back to your husband, but not for free. Your husband had better have some gold in pockets."

"That won't be a problem, Captain Kenway."

"You can call me Edward, Snow. Where was your husband's noble ship headed?"

"We were sailing to Havana."

"Ah, a city I know well. Perhaps a little too well, but that's another story. My crew and I are setting sail tonight. I expect you aboard with us." Kenway stood up, and offered his hand. "Do we have an agreement?"

Snow rose to her feet, and shook Kenway's hand. "Yes, we do."

"Excellent. Now let's get you cleaned up. My chambermaids will assist you. Afterwards my wife shall find you a suitable dress. Take some rest, should you need to."

Kenway left the library, and found Caroline waiting for him near the dining table. "Who's that?" she asked.

"A lost young woman looking to reunite with her dear husband." Kenway replied, taking his wife's hand. "Reminds me of someone else I know."

Caroline smiled. "Yes, yes it should."

* * *

Dinner that evening was held in the main dining room of the Kenway manor. To ensure the best meal possible, Kenway had hired the best cooks available in town to prepare a dinner fit for a lord. Turkey, oysters, salads, chicken, and cakes were just some of the many delicious foods laid out on the table. Kenway also opened up the finest wines in his cellar, which had been taken from a prize off Hispaniola months ago. The pirate captain himself was now seated at the head of the table. On his right sat Caroline, beautifully dressed in a forest green gown. Next to her sat the young, regal Snow White. Snow now looked as pretty as a portrait, bathed to a shiny polish and wearing a white dress. On Kenway's left sat Phineas, Captain of the brigantine _Adventure_. Also in attendance was Anne Bonny, along with several of the _Jackdaw_'s and _Adventure_'s officers.

Snow dressed in her absolute best attire for the evening; a jewel-encrusted white gown, and had her long black hair in a beautiful french bun on her gorgeous head. Caroline and Snow conversed quietly amongst themselves about how happy they were to be amongst such wonderful men and husbands, though Snow confessed she worried having not heard from her Charming in quite some time.

"I'm sure its nothing, dear Snow. It must surely be only the distance. Communications are hard in these times," comforted Caroline, and she shared a hopeful smile with Snow.

"A toast, dear Captain Kenway, to perseverance and compassion. Without you I would still be lost at sea, separated from my Charming Prince. Thank you, I owe you a good debt of gratitude sir," Snow graced the evening with a lovely toast that made the humble Edward Kenway blush and smile, feeling inadequate and undeserving of her recognition. After all, he'd only done what was expected under the circumstances.

All of a sudden, no one moved, the music stopped, and wine froze in midair between the rim of a crystal glass and the bottle held by the completely still Snow White. Kenway threw his white cloth napkin down, and stood up holding his sword, still in its scabbard.

"Oh yes yes yes deary, quite the noble man you are! Did you get everything your heart desired? Your true happy ending?" Rumpelstiltskin had unexpectedly joined the party. He was on Kenway's right side, standing just behind Caroline's motionless body.

"Yes, yes I have. Now what do you want, cursed imp?" Kenway barked.

"So angry! And here I thought we could start anew, as friends. All I want is that deary! Friendship and assurance that you'll stay out of my way in the future. Do we have a deal? Muahaha!" Rumpelstiltskin's voice got higher in pitch with every word until he broke into laughter, which sounded like a screech, or a hyena, or both.

"Ok, but why all of a sudden the change of heart?" Kenway asked more calmly, releasing his grip on his sword.

"You are the first person to remain true to my deal, and not try to screw me up later. For that I am eternally grateful. You have no idea how pleased I am to have your ship, so that I may hopefully reach my own happy ending." Rumple smiled like a crazy person but was indeed sincere. They shook hands smiling, and then Rumple was on his way, and life returned to the party as if nothing had happened. Kenway had been silent for a few moments.

"What is it my love? Why the silence on the night of our reunion?" Caroline asked.

"Nothing, I just thought I saw a friend in the back. Please enjoy the meal everyone!" Kenway snapped out of it and had a wonderful evening.

* * *

Back aboard the _Adventure_, Phineas stood watch on the main deck of his ship still, secured the dock, waiting for time and tide to allow the ship to sail again. He paced the decks with only less than a skeleton crew aboard, and awake at this harsh hour. He stopped walking and looked out over the port side at the full moon, hopped down onto the dock, and sat down harbor side, and watched the midnight ocean reflect the grandmother moon. Suddenly his presence was disturbed.

One of his mates from the ship who was not on duty just wanted someone to smoke a pipe with, and together they shared a puff, and talked about life and women and drinking.

"You know what I love more than women and smoking, though?" Asked the able seaman to his captain.

"What be that, lad?" he asked.

"Power!" And the able seaman stabbed Captain Phineas right in the throat. He gurgled as he struggled to breathe through the rush of blood, and then was harshly kicked head first into the beach. The seaman had lodged the knife into the Captain's neck so deep that the head tore clean from the body, and both splashed into the water. A pool of dark red blood surrounded him a few seconds later, his body motionless in the water. Then, the able seaman stabbed his own neck and beheaded himself as well. His headless and profusely bleeding carcass joined the body of his captain and landed head first in the water, and he died in the same manner. Standing defiantly on the dock over their corpses was a woman, dressed from head to toe in an extremely ornate red silk and jewel-studded ball gown with black, sequenced lace. Her facial expression was impossible to see, as she wore a large, black mask shaped like a diseased sickened heart. With red feathers on each side, her identity was a mystery, and her presence frightening. She had beautiful chocolate brown hair that was thick and styled as regal as a Queen. She raised her black-velvet gloved right hand, and in it was the glowing, beating heart of the able seaman.

"Yes my dear, power. True power endures. And then you don't have to rely on anyone to get what you want. You have the power," And she whispered something undetectable to the glowing innocent heart. As she kissed it, the heart wilted like a dying flower and turned black. The woman had ripped out the heart of the able seaman and with her whispering words, had commanded him via his heart to kill his captain. After she absorbed the once pure - now corrupted - heart's power, she turned on her heel and headed towards the town.

"I can't wait to see my daughter," she whispered as she smiled to herself behind the heart-shaped mask. But who was her daughter? And how was she here? Who in the hell was this woman, anyway?


	4. Chapter 4: The Castle

Castle Island. Once a quaint, tranquil strip of land, the little island now housed an imposing castle that dominated the landscape. The castle, with its granite walls, reinforced steel gates and vaulted ceilings, was a most unnatural structure, not fitting with the local fishing shacks. No one had ever built a castle on this island before, though its name suggested otherwise. Rather, the entire castle was previously transported from one realm of existence to this. Without Queen Regina, the castle's sorceress owner and mistress, such a feat would have proved impossible. Even more improbable was the garrison guarding the enchanted castle, which consisted of some five thousand men. A fleet of two hundred warships, mostly men o' war, patrolled the waters surrounding Castle Island, ever watchful for any potential threats. Their black hulls and sails stood invisible against the midnight sky, illuminated only by moonlight. The Evil Queen's flag of a mirror, with red flames and white lines across a black field, waved eerily from the mainmasts of every ship.

Regina herself stood in her private quarters atop the castle's highest tower. She peered out the window, looking down at her castle and fleet, and knew that neither were yet sufficient. Castle Island was just the beginning. Soon the entire Caribbean, from Trinidad to Cuba, would bend knee to Queen Regina. A bold endeavor; one she could not accomplish by herself, no matter her skill with magic. Already her thralls were embedded within local governments, posing as clerks or military officers, and all worked steadily to further their mistress' goals.

Regina today wore a far more intimidating number. A long, tight, dark blue, velvet dress studded with diamonds and backless. She wore a black rooster feather cloak over her shoulders, with a large vampire-like collar that reached up to her head in height. She topped the look off with a crown of golden leaves: a royal symbol for victory. She paced the halls of her castle, stressed about her naval strategies, though confident of her fleet's capability. Regina planned to launch a massive attack on the port city of Havana. Capturing Havana would allow her to plunder the city's treasury, expand her holdings, and increase the size of her military.

The Magic Mirror, Regina's loyal adviser, tried to offer words of reassurance. "My Queen, worry not. It'll be one hell of a battle! There won't be a bloodless ship in all the-" The Mirror was cut off abruptly. Regina's dark, scarred, purple lips opened and she yelled back at the Mirror.

"Quiet, you fool! I feel something different and unexpected in this hell hole we call an island! I don't like surprises, Mirror. I find them threatening! Do you know what happens when-" Queen Regina was interrupted herself.

"Yes, yes I know you become far more angry than usual. Dearest Queen, you should be aware that an intruder in this land has arrived over here," And the skull of the Mirror Man gave way to show her an image of, to Regina's great surprise, Prince James, aka Prince Charming.

"What in the hell is he doing here right now? About as charming as a potato." She chuckled at his appearance. "Let him come, I am interested to hear whatever it is he has to say," The Queen moved over to the doorway, waiting for him to come in.

"Regina? Are you in there? I just want to talk to you. Please open the door," Prince Charming said. The Evil Queen waved a hand in a counterclockwise motion, opening the heavy door.

"What brings you here, dear?" Regina asked.

"Call off the attack. It wont bring you your happy ending my dear, only more suffering."

"My dear? Since when do you call the woman who tried to kill your wife 'dear?' And your pathetic attempt to surrender before I even began attacking your... well, whatever you want to call that laughable collection of toys out on the water. Should I be concerned there's trouble in paradise?" Regina smugly pursed her lips in sarcastic worry for his relationship with Snow.

"I think you'll want to hear what I have to say, Regina," he replied, ignoring her insult.

"And why on Earth would I care in the slightest? Oh right, I don't!" She snapped.

"Because it's me," Charming was suddenly surrounded in light red smoke, and now the woman who hid behind the heart-shaped mask stood before her. Regina screamed in protest, overwhelmed and in a state of denial. James was not James at all, but rather someone else who'd bewitched their own self to resemble him, in order to gain an audience with the Evil Queen.

"NO! ITS NOT POSSIBLE! I HIRED HOOK TO KILL YOU! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD! WHEN CAN I EVER BE FREE OF YOU?!" Regina yelled. Every window and door slammed shut so hard, the wooden framing cracked from the force. The woman finally lowered her mask and dropped it on the stone floor. She was elderly, but not too old, probably in her 50's. She wore large jewelry made from rubies shaped like hearts, and had Regina's eyes. She smiled brightly.

"No, dear child. You will never be free of me. I'm your mother and I've come to help you," Cora Mills replied. As her behavior and jewelry hinted, she too was a Queen. The Queen... of Hearts.

"Captain Hook did attempt to rob me of my life," Cora continued. "Unfortunately for you, he failed. The last I saw of that pirate, he was drinking at a pub in Nassau, alone and defeated. Speaking of pirates, I have just returned from Great Inagua."

Regina fought to control her emotions. Cora's sudden appearance had the younger woman steaming with rage inside. "The pirate nest?" she asked after a minute of silence. "What the hell were you doing there?"

"Hunting the pirate known as Edward Kenway. He captured one of my finest vessels last month, and stole its entire cargo. But when I infiltrated his home, I spotted your greatest rival at Kenway's dinner table."

"Snow White?" Regina's eyes grew wide with suspense and delight.

"Yes, my daughter. Apparently Snow was shipwrecked on the island, then made her way to Captain Kenway's estate. She sleeps in his manor tonight."

Regina could not believe the news her mother just delivered. Snow White was here! Even better, she was enjoying the company of another one of Regina's enemies. It was all too good to be true.

That's right. It _was_ too good to be true. Cora, the woman who had crushed the heart of Regina's true love many years ago, now delivered her daughter information about Snow White's whereabouts. Regina's joy swiftly evaporated into suspicion.

"Why should I believe you?" Regina demanded, a look of scorn crossing her face. "After all the effort you've gone through to ruin everything I've built, now you claim to know where Snow White is? I don't by it." You are a most manipulative bitch, she thought in her head, making a disgusted look on her face.

Cora smiled. "Because darling, I'm the only person who can give you what you want. Oh, I don't expect you to believe me outright, my dear. True, my actions have not inspired faith from you. But after everything we've been through, why do you still doubt me? You should ask your Mirror."

Despite Regina's burning hatred for her mother, she understood. While numerous people lied to Regina over the years, the Mirror had never once delivered a false report to her, no matter the circumstances.

Regina turned to face the Mirror. "Mirror, show me Snow White."

The reflection portraying the two feuding Queens vanished, and in its place appeared the harbor of Great Inagua, darkened in the midnight sky. After a few seconds, the image changed again, this time displaying the Kenway mansion. The image then zoomed into a guest house tucked away behind the mansion, centering on one of its windows. Behind the window was a single bedroom, illuminated by a pair of candles. On the bed lay the petite body of Snow White, dressed in a nightgown and casually reading a book.

"There she is," said the Mirror.

Regina was now inclined to believe her mother. "I see," the younger Queen muttered. "And what of the other idiot Edward Kenway?"

"He is also on the island. It seems the fates are favoring you, your Majesty," The Mirror then shifted its view back towards the Kenway mansion, focusing on the master bedchamber. Sure enough, there was Edward Kenway, fast asleep in bed next to... his _wife_?! When had she reentered Kenway's life? She must have arrived on the island some time ago.

"Edward is exactly where your mother claims he was," the Mirror commented. "Cora was indeed truthful."

"So it would seem," said Regina. "I can't let them both slip away from my grasp. We shall attack Great Inagua immediately, bring them a fate worse than death, worse than a dark curse." Regina couldn't stop smiling, not while she thought that victory, at long last, was within reach. After almost 50 years of scheming and torturing the land, she finally had the advantage. Cora put up her hand, telling Regina to stop for a moment.

"Not Great Inagua," Cora interrupted. "Havana."

Regina looked back at her mother in annoyance. "Why Havana?"

Ignoring her daughter, Cora turned to the Mirror. "Show me Prince James."

"Gladly." The Mirror then showed an image of Prince James standing on a ship's quarterdeck. He was conversing with an officer, most likely the ship's captain. Anchored behind them was the Prince's entire fleet of warships. Visible in the background was a fort, which Regina recognized as one of two castellos guarding the Port of Havana. If Regina assaulted Havana, then she could capture the city, enslave its citizens, destroy Prince James' navy, and kill Snow White's dear husband all in a single decisive attack. Such a loss would shatter Snow's morale, making revenge even more sweet. If Regina could never have a chance at true love, then Snow would lose everything she built with hers. Cora explained all of this and more to Regina, and she apologized for their troubled past.

"Regina my darling, everything I've ever done was to make you Queen. And I wanted you to become Queen to spare you from the life of struggle and poverty that I endured working in the mills. I finally have a chance to help you gain your dream of a happy ending. Nothing would please me more than achieving that dream with you. The White family has brought us to their knees far too often. That, my love, stops tomorrow," she vowed.

"Let this day forever be cursed in the blood of our vile denizens, snow falls in summer on this island," The two Queens smiled with their new plan and began to set things in motion.

"Mother, just one more question. How did she arrive in that island so suddenly? I thought i had her taken care of her months ago. Now all of a sudden this pirate has his happy ending? Who brought her back this... this _Caroline_?" She again scowled and looked disgusted at the thought of other people being happy.

"I would say you think you know exactly who did it," Cora answered.

"Which brings me to my second request from you, mother. If you truly want to help me, you will do at least one favor for me. Carve out Rumplestiltskin's heart with his own damn dagger, and bring it back for my collection in the Vault," She stopped blinking. Her animalistic lust for prey and blood took over again.

"Anything for you dear. Consider it already done. I know we're going to love it here!" Cora became excited for the coming days ahead, so much death and destruction were about to unfold.

"Mirror," Regina ordered, "inform the Admiral that I'm boarding our flagship. We sail for Havana tonight. I have a heart to eat."

"And I a head to claim," Cora added excitedly.

* * *

Edward Kenway awoke peacefully in his home the following morning. He yawned and slowly woke up, stretching and anxiously awaiting to be greeted by his beautiful and loving wife. Kenway looked to his right, eager to gaze upon Caroline, only to find himself alone. Where had she gone? Then he noticed that the bedroom door was wide open. Assuming that his wife must already be awake, Kenway climbed out of bed, then dressed himself in his standard Assassin robes of blue and white.

A woman's shrill scream sounded from outside. Fearing the worst, Kenway grabbed his pistol and loaded it as he sprinted into the garden. Glass broke, then a door slammed, followed by another feminine scream, this one even more shrill than the last. With his heart racing, Kenway reached the guest house in under seven seconds.

Kenway kicked down the guest house's door, breaking the useless thing off its iron hinges. As it struck the wooden floor, he saw what had happened. The windows were all completely shattered. Shards of glass littered the floor. Snow knelt on the floor at the foot of her bed, tied at the hands and feet. A piece of black cloth, secured across her mouth, suppressed the young woman's sobs. Snow was not seriously injured, but some tiny bits of glass had pierced her legs and feet. She was still dressed in her nightgown at this early hour. The empty bed was still warm from where she slept that night, and a torn dress lay on the floor in front of a crying Snow White. Kenway knelt down and untied Snow's bindings. Through her stiffled cries, Kenway understood a few words.

"They stole her!... Tried... kill me too!..." was all Snow could say before crying again. Kenway hugged the distressed girl and tried to calm her down. It was never easy to watch someone as kind, happy, and gentle as Snow fall to pieces. With great care the pirate captain assisted Snow to her feet. The nightgown fell to the floor as its wearer stood up, embarrassing Kenway, who quickly covered Snow's pale body with the bedsheets. He then sat Snow down on her bed, careful not to disturb her bleeding feet.

"Who did this to you, Snow?" Kenway asked tenderly, sitting beside her. "What happened?"

Snow began to collect herself. "Three people," she said after a minute, "attacked Caroline and I."

Kenway looked around the room, and noticed that Snow was about to get dressed when the attackers arrived. Caroline had joined Snow, most likely to help her get changed, as formal women's clothing required multiple hands to don. The torn dress on the floor must have been what Snow planned to wear. This also explained why Snow's nightgown fell away. She was about to remove the nightgown when the attackers entered the room. Whomever had intruded on Kenway's home had bound Snow White at the mouth, hands, and ankles, then left in a hurry. Why had those men invaded this house? Were they after loot? Nothing of great value appeared missing, not even Snow's valuable jewelry, and the expensive dress had been destroyed rather than stolen. Kenway then guessed that the attackers wanted sex, but dismissed that theory instantly. Someone attempting rape would seek a more subtle approach. These strangers made an awful racket during their assault and did so clumsily, allowing their victims time to unleash screams.

The home invasion was swift, noisy, and brutal. And for what?

"They took her," Snow continued, wiping away tears. "Caroline is gone."

Kenway's heart stopped. Snow's words confirmed his worst fear. The intruders, whatever their identities, were on a mission of _abduction_! Kenway now understood why the attack happened so quickly. The kidnappers must have tried to take both women, but Kenway's interference left them with only enough time to grab one.

"What?!" Kenway looked Snow in the eye. "Where are they taking her?" he asked hurriedly. "Did you see them leave?"

Snow raised a hand, pointing to the jungle. "They headed south, away from the village."

Kenway stood up. "Wait here," he instructed Snow before swiftly departing the house.

"Edward!" Snow called, but Kenway was already out of earshot.

The pirate captain ran through the jungle, following the only trail leading south. Kenway ducked under low branches and leaped over roots as he went, not slowing his pace for a second. Pure adrenaline propelled his feet across the muddy forest floor. The morning sun rose off to the east, casting shadows on the trail. Sweat trickled down Kenway's forehead, but he ignored the distraction. Every second that passed allowed Caroline's kidnappers more time to escape; time Kenway refused to allow. Finally he reached the jungle's edge.

Kenway stopped at a cliff edge, some twenty feet above the sandy beach. Before him stretched the Caribbean's vast expanse, shimmering with the sun's rays. A boat shoved off from the beach. In the boat sat two armed men, one rowing and the other steering, along with two women. Both men wore sailor's clothing, while the unknown woman was clad in a scarlet dress. Kenway immediately recognized Caroline, seated in the boat.

"Caroline!" he called out in desperation. There was no reply. Blinded by grief, Kenway drew his pistol and fired at the retreating craft. The shot would have struck the man at the tiller, had the sorceress seated in the bow not deflected it. The boat continued onwards unhindered, much to Kenway's extreme disappointment.

It was then that Kenway noticed a ship anchored offshore, about one hundred meters from the coast. The ship itself was a schooner, with a hull painted red as blood. From her mainmast flew a white banner displaying a single red heart. Kenway watched helplessly as the boat arrived at the schooner and was hauled aboard. The schooner then made sail, setting a westerly course.

As the schooner disappeared over the horizon, Kenway dropped to his knees, outstretched his arms, and screamed aloud in pain. His beloved Caroline was gone.


	5. Chapter 5: Hook

The brig _Jolly Roger_ sailed powerfully through the crisp Caribbean waters. Her hull, painted orange, blue, and black with yellow striping, rode the waves like a dolphin as she cruised along. The _Jolly Roger_ herself was a pirate ship, one of many that sailed these waters. But unlike those vessels, this sturdy brig and her cutthroat crew were not of this world. Rather, they hailed from the realm of the Enchanted Forest; the same realm as Snow White and Queen Regina.

On the quarterdeck stood Killian "Hook" Jones, Captain of the _Jolly Roger, _and William Smee, Captain Hook's quartermaster. From behind the two pirates came Cora, much to their surprise.

"Hello, Hook," she said, sounding oddly happily.

Hook turned to face the sorceress queen. "Hello, Cora" he returned, mocking her tone.

"Well done capturing the wretched Caroline so swiftly. Who would have thought a noble Pirate would obey a loving and forgiving pair of Queens such as myself and my daughter?"

"Enough. I didn't do it for you. I did it for the reward, lass."

"Ah yes of course dear. Your new ship. Tell me: Do you know why I awarded you this ship, out of all the vessels in every realm? Because now The Dark One has beef with you too; and because you're a pirate I'm leaving you to fight this coming battle on your own. I do hope you love your realm-jumping ship, Captain." Cora told him spitefully that now Rumplestilskin would want his ship too. Or at least, to kill Hook, thereby satisfying an old blood feud. Hook's history with the guileful sorcerer was quite unpleasant. It was Rumplestilskin that amputated Captain Jones' hand, forcing him to replace it with a steel hook.

"If that scumbag wants me dead, he's welcome to try," Hook boasted. "Better men than him made attempts on my life. None succeeded."

Cora then vanished in a wisp of smoke, leaving Hook and Smee alone on the quarterdeck.

"That woman's a deceitful piece of filth," Mr. Smee commented.

"Indeed," Hook muttered in agreement, leaning against the rail. "But the rewards are worth the effort of dealing with her. And for the moment at least, she's a distraction for the crocodile. As soon as that beast is gone, so is she."

Six months ago, Captain Hook was sailing the West Indies after successfully carrying out a mutiny aboard his personal favorite ship, the best of all the vessels he captained in the Royal Navy. With his newfound career as a pirate, he renamed the brig _Jewel of the Realm_ to the _Jolly Roger._ His new ship but former crew had sailed for months now, undisturbed by any non-pirate vessels; the crew was getting hungry, and eager to fight.

"Ship off the port quarter!" cried a lookout. The unknown vessel did not have any crew running about the decks, and yet was opening the cannonade housings which lined the mysterious ship's hull like veins on a heart.

Straightening up, Hook drew his spyglass and focused on the unknown vessel. She was a brigantine, carrying white sails over a blue hull. Her own starboard side faced the _Jolly Roger_. A British ensign flew from her mainmast. The brigantine's unassuming appearance suggested that she was a simple merchantman, thereby making her easy prey for the pirate vessel.

"Mr. Smee," Hook said as he took the helm, "it's been too long since we've taken a prize."

Immediately the quartermaster understood his captain's intention. "All hands prepare for battle!" Smee cried out. "Run out the guns!"

Men hurried to their posts at these words, both on deck and in the rigging. All of the ship's fourteen cannons were run out from their gunports. The two swivel guns on the quarterdeck were manned and readied. In a short span of time the Jolly Roger transformed from a sheep at pasture to a wolf on the hunt.

With a confident grin crossing his bearded face, the pirate captain heaved his ship's wheel hard to port.

Hook ordered a single broadside fired, after realizing his opponent must still be loading. Fires broke out on the merchant ship's sails and main deck.

"FIRE AT WILL! DRAG THEM BACK TO HELL LADS!" Hook yelled in a glorious rage, finally satisfying his need for lead and fire. Suddenly, the main mast of the other ship cracked like fireworks, and then fell abeam of her own hull. The Crew of the _Jolly Roger_ cheered with their long awaited victory, and chanted in unison, "HOOK! HOOK!" Hook smiled, bowed lowly, and made a course adjustment to come alongside and plunder his prize.

Suddenly, the ship was encased in dark purple smoke, and vanished. Then too, Hook was surrounded by the same smoke, and transported to Regina's castle on Castle Island. He appeared in Regina's private office, with it's owner standing before him. The Evil Queen was wearing a dark purple, starched satin gown, which had enormous dimensions. Its skirt was wider than most doorframes, and the dark red collar was jagged, like the sides to an accordion. The sleeves, shoulders and bust of the massive imposing dress were capped with a tarnished, almost black, gilded design, and her hair was in a crazy style, towering upwards on her head.

"Well done, Captain. Yes I know who you are. I know all about your history with my most enraging and meddling enemy. You took my bait: the fake merchant ship. With so much bloodlust about, I was unsure if you'd leave nothing left of a bewitched rowboat. Unsure, but impressed. I need someone with your firepower to take care of a most inconvenient road block." The Queen said, never taking eyes off the basket of blood-red apples on her desk across from her silent mirror.

"And what would you have me do should I agree to this, whatever it is?" Hook asked.

"That part of this arrangement is none of your damned concern, fool! What is your concern however, is that you will do this for me, or I will kill one member of your crew, until you agree!" The Evil Queen shoved an apple against Hook's mouth, and the mere touch of it burned his skin like a bonfire. He screamed in pain and ordered her to cease. He stabbed her in the neck deeply with his hook, and he thought he was winning.

"Next time, it'll be your back, and I don't mean in the literal sense, Majesty," He smirked. The Queen tore off his hook with her free hand, causing him more pain, and was completely unharmed herself. No blood, not even a scar.

"ENOUGH GAMES PIRATE! Will you obey or do you really want to continue this obvious fight?"

"Alright you wretch! I will do this ONE AND ONLY ONE bloody job. But lay a spell on any of my crew, and I'll tear your limbs from your torso! UNDERSTAND?! Who am I to kill?"

The Queen finally looked the pirate in the eye, with her own piercing black eyes.

"My mother."

* * *

"Get the crew ready. We're putting to sea."

Kenway delivered this order to Anne Bonny, who departed the mansion with haste. After donning his cutlasses, pistols, hidden blades, and leather armor, Kenway hefted a filled seabag over his right shoulder and made his way down to the harbor. He then boarded the _Adventure_, stowing his seabag in the captain's cabin. When he emerged back on deck the pirate crew, mostly from the _Jackdaw_, were hard at work readying the ship for sea. A line of sailors, stretching from the ship to the pier, ferried provisions into the brigantine's hold. As she rounded up the crew, Anne had briefly explained to each man what happened to their captain's wife. Not surprisingly, they all sympathized with Edward. Even if they didn't believe in marriage themselves, every pirate understood that no man deserved being separated from his woman. Such an injustice deserved punishment.

Kenway joined in the line of men carrying provisions aboard the ship. The _Adventure_ arrived in Great Inagua with her hold nearly empty, carrying just enough food,water, and ammunition to make her previous voyage. Kenway anticipated that this next voyage would last for some time. He possessed no intention of returning without Caroline safe and sound. Likewise, the pirate captain called upon his fellow pirates to laden the ship's stores with provisions.

"Captain Kenway," said a feminine voice.

Kenway paused, a crate still in his hands as he looked for the voice's owner. Strolling proudly towards him was Snow White, dressed in clean sailor's clothing and carrying a leather seabag over her shoulder. A cutlass hung from her sword belt. Her black hair, previously worn loose, was tied back in a ponytail. In just minutes the sheltered princess transformed herself into a hardened sailor. Perhaps clothes truly did make the person.

Snow halted in front of Kenway and gave him a mock salute. "Snow White reporting for duty," she said with a giggle.

Kenway smiled, lowered the crate to the pier, and returned Snow's salute. "Welcome aboard, lass," he greeted the princess. "I trust you're ready to see your husband again?"

"Yes indeed, Edward. Also, I know you're setting out to find Caroline, and I'm going to help bring her home."

"Is that so? What help can you offer this crew?"

"I know who kidnapped Caroline."

Kenway found himself at a loss for words. It seemed beyond coincidence that Caroline was abducted within a day of Snow's arrival on the island. On top of that, only Snow had seen the kidnappers up close. Could she be in league with them? Possibly, but doubtful. Snow didn't strike Kenway as the deceitful type. But did he truly want this woman aboard his ship? Yes. Yes he did.

"Alright Snow," Edward said at last. Climb aboard and find a cabin that's not occupied. Meet with me at the helm once we've cleared the harbor."

"Aye aye, Edward."

Hefting her seabag, Snow walked up the gangway and then made her way below deck. Anne Bonny followed her aboard. Kenway rejoined the loading operation until the hold was filled. Every last square foot and corner of space was occupied by either food, water, rum, gunpowder, arms, or ammunition. The _Adventure_ was ready for sea, along with her crew.

"Make ready to sail!" Kenway commanded, taking the ship's wheel firmly in both hands. "Haul in the gangway!"

"You heard the Captain," Anne shouted from amidships. "Let go those shore lines! Set the mainsail!"

The crew on deck diligently carried out Anne's orders, casting off the bowlines and sternlines, letting the brigantine drift away from the pier. Seconds later, the main foresail tumbled from its yardarm, followed by the topsail. Both caught the wind and were secured into place. The ship began sailing steadily out of the harbor. Above Kenway the fore-and-aft mainsail rose from the boom, hauled up by a team of men. Once the Adventure cleared the harbor mouth, Kenway gave the order to set full sail. The three remaining sails and two jibs were set, propelling the pirate craft along at eleven knots. With a steady breeze blowing, Kenway set a westerly course, pointing the bow at the open blue sea. The heavy feeling of grief within him subsided a bit. Now that he was back out on the waves, the situation did not appear so hopeless after all. Setting sail, in pursuit of his true love, brought Kenway more hope than any bottle of rum.

Snow White and Anne Bonny joined Kenway astern as the brigantine cruised away from Great Inagua. Anne stood on Kenway's right side, and Snow on his left.

"Mrs. White," Kenway began, "you claim you know who kidnapped my wife."

"Indeed," Snow replied. "Her name is Cora Mills, Edward. She is a powerful sorceress."

"A sorceress?" Anne asked, puzzled.

Kenway answered for Snow. "Aye, Anne. Years ago, a witch tried coercing me into joining her cause. I refused. She turned Blackbeard against me after that. I had no choice but to kill him."

Anne appeared shocked. "Edward, you didn't!" she remarked in disbelief.

"Sorry Anne, I did. Regina left me no choice."

"Oh my," Snow muttered, looking away briefly.

Kenway heard Snow's quiet remark. "You know of her, lass?"

Snow returned her eyes to Kenway. "All too well. For years Regina has aimed to destroy my family and I. She blames myself and James for her unhappiness."

"That's a tough fix," Anne commented. "But we'll end her."

"One more thing, Captain," Snow chimed back in, "Cora did not act alone. A pirate named Hook accompanied her."

Kenway knew that name. Hook, better known as Killian Jones, was a pirate captain like himself. He commanded a brig named the _Jolly Roger_. The two of them had even done business together. One month ago, both captains and their crews partook in a raid against a fully-laden Spanish galleon. The haul from that ship totaled one hundred thousand reales, enough to pay every pirate for six months. With such a successful raid, Kenway had looked forward to further pillaging with Captain Hook. His kidnapping of Caroline changed that.

"Thank you, Snow," Kenway said. "You may go."

Snow left the captain's side and returned to her cabin.

"I don't believe those tales about witches," Anne informed Kenway.

"Until Regina, I didn't believe in them either. I'm convinced now."

"Sail!" cried a lookout. "To the north!"

Kenway handed the wheel off to Anne, then drew his spyglass, scanning the horizon to starboard. Sure enough, there was indeed another ship, also steering a westerly course. Her rigging, two square-rigged masts, marked her as a brig. The brig's hull bore orange and blue paint, with yellow striping. From her mainmast flew a pirate flag, which Kenway recognized instantly. It belonged to the _Jolly Roger_.

The Welsh pirate sheathed his spyglass and returned to the helm. "Ready the ship for battle," he ordered. "We've found Captain Hook."

* * *

Hook reappeared on the _Jolly Roger_'s quarterdeck in a wisp of purple smoke. The false ship had disappeared, and the crew had returned to their usual mix of working, drinking, and napping.

Smee remained on the quarterdeck. "What did the Queen want that time?" he asked of Hook.

Hook eyed the Quartermaster. "Regina just hired us to hunt and kill her mother once again. Guess she was quick to forgive our failure. We'll get the damn witch this time."

"Aye aye, Captain." Smee affirmed.

A lookout sounded off in the rigging. "Sail!" he shouted. "Port beam."

Hook drew his spyglass, focusing on the unknown vessel. Like Regina's false ship, this one also carried the rigging of a brigantine. Hook noticed differences right away. This new ship had men walking about her decks, readying for battle. Cannons were protruding from their respective gunports along her hull. The brig then turned to starboard, setting a course to intercept the _Jolly Roger_. Her sleek hull and large sail area would permit the brigantine to easily overtake the wider, slower brig. It was then that Hook noticed the flag upon her mainmast. The banner was black, displaying a skull surrounded by the Assassin insignia.

"Bloody hell," Hook thought aloud. "It's Kenway. Get up, you louts! Ready for battle!" These final words were directed at the _Jolly Roger_'s crew, who dropped what they were doing and moved purposefully to their posts. Or at least they tried. Most didn't quite make an effort, already too drunk to fight properly. Some were barely able to stand. Hook knew that with a drunken crew, he stood no chance of defeating Kenway. But Cora's upgrade now gave Hook a second option: fly away. Remain airborne until his crew sobered up, then engage Kenway's ship.

As Hook willed it, the _Jolly Roger_ slowly rose off the waves, like a giant seabird taking flight. The ship's masts groaned with effort, while water trickled down the wooden hull. Men stumbled about the decks as the vessel shifted beneath them. Within seconds the pirate brig sailed through the air, five meters off the sea and climbing.

Hook leaned over the port rail, eyes fixed on the brigantine. "Get me now, Kenway!" he taunted.

Either Kenway heard Hook's shout, or he foresaw this maneuver, because down below the brigantine made a hard turn to port. When her starboard broadside faced the airborne brig, twelve cannons let fly, smoke belching from their muzzles. Yards shattered and sails tore as the shots slammed home. Men cried out in surprise and in pain. The fore mainsail collapsed to the deck, followed by both jibs. A second later, the entire hull crashed heavily back into the sea, sending water over the rails and through the open gunports. The hull settled again after a few chaotic moments.

Smee, who had been knocked to the deck, struggled to his feet. "What just happened, sir?" he asked, returning to Hook's side.

Hook, still at the helm, responded. "The sails are too damaged for flight," he said gruffly. "We'll have to fight the old-fashioned way."

"Ready your blades, boys!" Smee shouted at the crew. "Prepare to repel boarders!"

Kenway's brig had already closed to hailing distance with the _Jolly Roger_. A swivel gun fired from her stern, sending a bag of grapeshot hurtling at the brig's main deck. It was immediately followed by a grappling hook, then a second. Men aboard the _Adventure_ heaved in the grappling lines, marrying the two ships together.

Hook drew his cutlass, pointing it at the enemy. "Kill 'em all, boys!" he yelled.

"HOOK! HOOK!" the crew chanted in reply.

A wave of bloodthirsty pirates stormed aboard the _Jolly Roger_, shouting, shooting, and cursing as they came. The resistance that they met was disappointingly light. Having consumed too much rum and whiskey, the _Jolly Roger_'s crew weren't fighting to their full potential. Sober, they were a formidable fighting force; drunk, they were little better than farmers armed with pitchforks.

Smee drew his blade and rushed off the quarterdeck, joining the fight. As Hook moved to follow, he sensed a presence behind him. He spun around to the left, swinging his cutlass as he went. His blade was blocked two others. Hook found himself facing an old friend: Edward Kenway.

"Where's my wife, Killian?!" Kenway demanded.

"I don't know." Hook answered truthfully.

"Like hell, you do!" Kenway lunged at Hook, swinging both his cutlasses. Hook dodged one cutlass, deflected the other, then rolled behind Kenway, who spun around to face him.

"What have you done with Caroline?!"

"Nothing, Edward! I was hired to kidnap your wife, not ransom her."

Kenway attacked again. Hook deflected the attack but as he did so, Kenway swept Hook's left foot out from under him, causing Hook to fall hard on his back. Dropping his cutlasses, Kenway then threw himself atop Hook, pinning him to the deck. Hook pushed back against Kenway, but the Welshman overpowered him. Kenway then unsheathed his left hidden blade, putting it to Hook's throat while pinning his left arm with his own right.

"If you don't have my wife," Kenway said softly but aggressively, "then who does?"

"Cora," Hook responded without a hint of fear. "Cora Mills. She hired me to kidnap Caroline."

"And where is Cora now?"

"I do not know. Sorry, Edward."

Kenway gave a mock frown. "If that's the case, Killian, then you're of no further use."

Kenway raised his left arm, ready to strike.

"Edward, stop!"

A body slammed into Kenway, knocking him off Hook. He landed on his back, then sat up and drew a pistol, ready to shoot his assailant.

It was Snow White.

"Edward, please," she said to Kenway, "Captain Hook is worth more to us alive than dead. He and his crew can help find Caroline, and destroy Regina. We'll need allies if we're to succeed."

The young lady had a point. Trying to find one woman across thousands of nautical miles was like finding a needle in a haystack: possible, but fruitless. And if Regina was as powerful as he believed, it would take more than just one ship to defeat her.

Kenway holstered his pistol, recovered his cutlasses, and stood up. Around him, the sights and sounds of combat subsided. The Jolly Roger's remaining crew had surrendered, dropping their weapons to the deck. But if Hook and Kenway reached an agreement, they would not remain prisoners for long.

Kenway assisted Hook to his feet. "Sorry about that, mate," he apologized.

"No need, Edward," Hook replied. "Just don't attack me again."

"Aye. Now Killian, there's something we need to discuss."

"And what's that?"

"I know you've done business with Cora and Regina. My crew and I need your help to kill them."

A smile appeared on Hook's bearded face. The chance at being rid of those two despots was finally here. "Captain Kenway, you shall have it."

If any group hated Queens more than any other, it was the pirates. Among the pirates, if anyone wished the Evil Queen and her twisted mother dead, it was Hook and Kenway. To their own surprise (and to Snow's relief), the two captains began to bond over this common pain- losing the women they loved to a Witch, and they agreed to buy each other drinks at the next port.

Then, amidst a firm and happy handshake, the man in the crows best spotted a ornately decorated ship. Snow instantly recognized the enormous man o' war as the _King Leopold_, the pride of her husband's old fleet.


	6. Chapter 6: The Pirate and Warlock

The morning sun rose over the Spanish city of Havana, where the bustling port was already beginning to awaken. The shops were opening, warehouses emptying, and citizens eating breakfast. Dozens of vessels, merchants and warships alike, lay anchored in the harbor. Among those vessels were twelve ships of the Spanish Navy, fourteen ships of Prince James' Royal Squadron, and a pirate frigate named the _Forsaken_.

Thomas McNally, Captain of the _Forsaken_, sat in the El Tesoro public house, enjoying a breakfast of eggs and bacon. The young captain wore sailor's clothing with a navy blue overcoat. A red officer's sash was tied around his waist. Two sabers hung from his sword belt, and three pistols crossed his chest, holstered on a bandolier. Seated across from Thomas was a young man named Anthony. Unlike the pirate, Tony wore elegant clothes, made from an ancient material, not from this land. He wore a floor length black cotton cloak with draped sleeves, and a large but seldom used hood. Under his black robes, he wore a dark green velvet v-neck colared shirt, and black shorts with lots of pockets. Tony's outfit alone drew scrutiny from the tavern's less wealthy occupants, including his new business associate, Thomas McNally.

"So what it is it you need?" Thomas asked the stranger.

"Passage," Tony responded. "To the Yucatan Peninsula. A place called Tulum is my destination."

"Interesting. We're sailing there tomorrow morning on a private contract. A sensitive contract, keep in mind. You'll be confined to the ship for the duration of the passage. which will cost you two thousand reales."

Tony removed a cloth pouch from his coat pocket, and placed it in front of Thomas. Coins rattled within as it struck the table. Thomas picked up the pouch, checking its contents.

"Excellent," he remarked. "Please follow me."

The two men stood up and departed from the El Tesoro. Thomas led them down to the city's waterfront, where a rowboat ferried him and Tony out to the anchored pirate ship.

That same evening, Tony stood alone on the _Forsaken_'s bow, watching the sea below him, loving the sights and sounds of the ocean. A couple deckhands, who were supposed to be scrubbing the decks, were talking about him loud enough for Tony to hear.

"Get a load o' this bloke huh?" One man said nudging another to look at Tony.

"What a freak Tony is! Robes and God knows what the blooming hell that is underneath. Did your boyfriend sew that for ya mate? He's so weak, it's pathetic!" The two bilge rats laughed. Tony stood freely from the railing of the ship and stepped backwards. He turned around with his eyes lit brightly blue, and held his hand up to his chest, as if he was holding an invisible object. His hand became engulfed in blue fire, and the two men shouted with fright. They were now completely unable to move. Thomas McNally saw Tony's glowing eyes and fire-laced hand, and watched from a distance in mute fascination.

Tony knelt down to their level and got right up in their faces. The two men were tied down by seemingly nothing, yet they couldn't even speak.

"I will release you, but do not test me for it shall be your last breath. You will not speak of this moment to anyone, and you will go on without the ability to demean others. May The Unnamed God forgive you, cretins." Anthony closed his fist and the fireball disappeared, and his eyes returned to dark brown. Then he waved his hand and wiped the pirate's memory of what they just saw. It was clear from that moment as he walked on, that he was not from this land at all, held a high government position elsewhere, and was skilled with magic. Captain Thomas McNally approached Anthony, as they had much to talk about.

"Ahoy, Tony!" He shouted, happy to see him.

"Evening Captain!" Tony replied.

"Come with me please, to my quarters. AH! Walk, please" Captain McNally noticed Anthony reach for something in his pocket, and stopped him. Anthony looked annoyed, but complied.

They arrived a few silent minutes later in his cabin, and the Captain locked the doors behind him.

"What's going on?" Anthony asked.

"You can't do that. Use magic on my ship, I mean. You'll scare my crew, and draw unneeded attention to our vessel, which is supposed to travel unnoticed, given our mission at hand," Thomas was pacing, stressed, and a little nervous.

"Alright, I agree. No magic aboard the ship. I will not tolerate insults though, and I am not going to be a child and report petty name calling to the officer of the watch. I will handle it myself." Anthony said.

"That's fine. Just, until we get on land, promise me you'll stop using magic, at least in that way?" to which Tony nodded, and then smiled.

"It's good to see you again, Captain. Last time I saw you, we were battling a resurrected evil witch, and trying not to drown under the crushing force of her tsunami curse," Anthony recounted, turning his head, remembering a few friends that he lost in that final epic battle in Oz. Captain Thomas McNally and Anthony the Blue had known each other for a while. Once a member of the Royal Navy, Thomas was also a member of King Anthony's personal Guard in Oz. Since most people who return to Earth from Oz lose most of their memory from that time, however, Thomas somewhat doubted its reality until now. In that time, Thomas and Anthony went through hell on Earth (or rather, on Oz) together. Their lives were on the line every moment, until at last the Wicked Witch was brought down forever, bringing an end to the miserable curse, and light back to the darkness.

"I remember now. All of it. Oz. Glinda. You." Thomas and Anthony hugged each other, thankful to be alive, and happily reunited again at long last.

"Before we go back out there, one more thing. Lady Glinda sent me here to help you. To help Captain Kenway, Hook, and Snow White to eventually defeat the Evil Queen. We must keep our true identities a mystery until the last moment. The Evil Queen has eyes everywhere through her mirror, except aboard this ship. That fireball I had in front of those two deck hands? You noticed it was blue. I placed a charm on the ship to hide it, and us, from her mirror's prying eyes. When we disembark the ship, we must remain anonymous."

"I learned my trade from Edward Kenway. He's a master Assassin, Anthony. Don't worry about me. Stealth is my specialty. If I recall right, you aren't too good at that, mate! Don't worry. Once we leave here, we can continue our search for the Pieces of Eden. I may need your magic to heal me, or otherwise help in combat. Are you ready for that?"

"Just like old times, mate!" They shook hands, and Anthony's right eye blinked blue.

"By the way, did I tell you about the Pieces of Eden before?" Thomas asked.

"No Thomas, you did not."

"Then now you know our reason for discretion. I'll fill you on them another time."

Thomas opened the door and returned to the quarterdeck, while Anthony stood back up on the bow, watching the waves as they rolled towards Havana. He and Thomas said the same thing under their breath.

"Look out Regina, here we come."

* * *

Back in the Evil Queen's palace, Regina was absolutely furious. Her mother was slow at killing Rumpelstiltskin (she was probably trying to find his dagger, no doubt), Hook still hadn't killed her, and above all, Snow White was racing towards Charming. Regina, in her enraged status, was wearing a different outfit. For the first time in a long time, she wore a crown made of black iron and sharply pointed. He dress was a satin, black gown with puffed shoulders, and an attached satin cape that was incredibly long. The corset was made of bones, and the neckline was dotted by raven skulls. Everything about her looks screamed death.

The Mirror was showing her an image of the ship _Forsaken_, anchored in Havana harbor.

"I told you to not disturb me today!" She shouted.

"I was only trying to show you that you now have a visitor, and an uninvited one at that Majesty," The mirror's image was beginning to flicker, but she stopped pacing when she saw a cloaked young man. Seconds after the boy turned around with glowing blue eyes, the mirror blackened and the mirror man's head returned.

"Apologies your majesty, the boy has apparently enacted a charm to hide his ship from us. I've lost all sight of him."

"How is it, that my one true slave could betray my trust! You swore that you would inform me visually of everything that happened. YOU SWORE THAT YOU WOULD PROTECT ME! YOU'VE MADE A FOOL OUT OF ME! THIS BOY IS NEW AND UNKNOWN, YET YOU FIND HIM IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO WARN ME! WELL THEN, WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!" Regina had yelled so loudly, that the glass of the mirror cracked once, then a hundred times.

"Please don't, your Majesty. I tried, really! You know I love you! Fairest in all the realms!" The Evil Queen only screamed in response. She held her hands together in fists, and when she separated them, the mirror exploded, and the wall now only had a circle of flames in its place. One of her guards tried to inform her of the mystery ship as well, but she waved a hand snapping his neck and killed him. There was a swirl of red smoke, and Rumpelstiltskin appeared before her. Regina wasted no time and threw her glove off her hand, and punched it into his chest.

"LEAVE ME BE! OR SO HELP ME I WILL EAT YOUR DAMNED HEART!" Rumple's body flashed as if he were a cartoon character.

"You can rip and crunch all you want, deary. I'm not really here! My my what a temper we're in, and especially on a day like today!" He grinned. Rumple only sent a holographic message to the Queen, foreseeing her anger.

"SPARE ME YOUR BULLSHIT, IMP! SAY WHAT YOU CAME TO SAY! I'M THE QUEEN!"

"That pirate ship in Havana? Isn't just there for a tour. They're hunting for something. Something you might want to get your milky hands on if you like your life. If not, then scream and shout all you want deary, but there's a line a mile long for your death, starting with me. So I suggest you change your own damned plans." Rumple hissed.

"TO DO WHAT PRAY TELL?"

"You're a... well a woman of some kind. _Figure_ it out." And with that, he was gone.

Regina fought to control herself. Inside, she was fit to burst with rage. When Regina's senses finally returned, her thoughts drifted back to the young man displayed by the mirror. She _did_ know of him! Years ago, Regina had conducted magical experiments with a fellow sorceress, the Witch of the East, in realm called Oz. During their time together, The Witch mentioned a powerful wizard who threatened her power. Anthony The Blue was his title.

And the pirate ship moored in Havana, the _Forsaken_. She had taken part in the Battle of the Virgin Islands, where an entire British squadron was defeated by just five pirate vessels. Her captain was Thomas McNally. A former midshipman of the Royal Navy, McNally was introduced to piracy by Edward Kenway. He also held ties to the Assassin Order, and was an expert combatant.

For her ultimate plans to succeed, Regina knew that both of these men needed to die.

The Evil Queen looked down at her hand, and grinned. In a swish of purple smoke, she too disappeared.

* * *

Cora reached the _Adventure_, the ship that she knew Kenway, Hook, and Snow were aboard. She disguised herself as Mary Reade, a deceased friend of Edward Kenway. It had been too long without taking a head, and her power lusted for more.

The sorceress arrived on the ship's bow in the dead of night, while most of the _Adventure_'s crew slept soundly in their quarters. No moon or stars shone overhead. Finding the main deck deserted, Cora made her way down to the upper tween deck.

She ended up in the crew mess. Barrels, bottles, and crates littered the space surrounding a central dining table. The room was empty except for a single drunken pirate. He called something to her in French, then collapsed heavily on the deck. He began to snore noisily. Ignoring him, the disguised Queen noticed a hatchway leading forward. She considered passing through it but immediately stopped herself. That hatchway, Cora realized, led into the crew's quarters. Her target was most likely aft, resting in an officer's cabin.

Quiet as a mime, Cora made her way from the crew mess to the gun deck. Over a dozen cannons, all secured for sea, lined each side of the ship. The gunports were all fastened shut, preventing the sea from washing in. Barrels of powder and crates packed with shot occupied the space's center, secured with line to the deck.

Finally she entered the officer's quarters. Four cabins - one astern, one to port and two to starboard - made up the quarters. A light shone from beneath the stern cabin's door, and a Welshman's voice could be heard beyond it.

Edward Kenway, Cora thought menacingly. Perhaps she'd kill him once her target was dealt with.

The port side cabin also had a dim light shining from beneath its window. Cora stood silent, listening for any voices, when a young woman with red hair swung open the cabin's door. She stumbled into the passageway, wearing little more than a nightshirt. The red-haired girl laughed giddily, clearly intoxicated by rum. Her smile vanished when she spotted Cora.

"Mary?" she asked, her voice barely audible. "Mary Read?"

"Yes Anne," the disguised Cora replied. "It's me."

"But you're dead. I saw your corpse."

"No my friend, I was only unconscious. Someone rescued me and saved me, I've come back to continue the adventure we started!"

Anne's smile returned. "Mary!" she exclaimed. "I missed you!"

Anne rushed forward with her arms spread, prepared to embrace her lost shipmate. As her body met Cora's, the sorceress plunged her right arm into the young woman's chest, taking hold of her heart. Anne screamed in pain, loud as a banshee. Mary Read, her dearest friend, was killing her!

Edward stormed from his cabin clutching a pistol, which he instinctively fired at Cora's head. The gun's report echoed in the confined space. Kenway's shot struck Cora's neck, but her wound healed in a near instant. Cora simply laughed at the feeble attempt to kill her.

Cora yanked Anne's beating heart from her chest. The female pirate collapsed to the deck, dumbfounded and speechless, while Cora turned to face Kenway. The Queen dropped the now useless disguise and revealed her true appearance, clad in her most exquisite scarlet dress.

"Edward Kenway," she said with a smile, "it's about time we met."

Kenway lowered his pistol. "Cora Mills, I presume?" he asked politely, despite knowing her identity.

"Indeed. Such a lovely woman, Caroline is. It's a shame you couldn't keep her safe."

"What would you know about safety? Especially for a Queen that boards pirate ships."

"More than you ever could, pirate."

"That's doubtful."

"What isn't doubtful, is that I am going to kill your dearly beloved Caroline. Therefore, I won't just have destroyed you and your happy ending, I will have destroyed your legacy. I'm going to turn your heart black as coal! And soon your name will fade into an unpleasant and dim memory!"

Before this conversation could continue, the head of Cora Mills suddenly jumped free from her shoulders. Blood spewed from her body like a fountain. The severed, lifeless head rolled across the deck and into a corner. Cora's body collapsed, revealing Captain Hook standing less than a foot behind her. A bloodied cutlass rested in his right hand. He was quick to notice the look of surprise on Kenway's face. There was a flash of magic that pulsed outwards as every spell the Queen of Hearts came undone. The shockwave tossed Kenway and Hook back a few steps but all was normal.

"Good form, Edward," Hook said while wiping his blade clean.

"Same to you," Kenway returned.

The Welsh pirate looked down at Anne's apparently lifeless body. Snow White, having been awoken by the noise, knelt over Anne. Kenway's heart sank at the tragic sight. After months of sailing with Kenway, after years of living a pirate's life, the fearless Anne Bonny had finally met her fate.

"It's a shame about Anne," Kenway muttered.

Hook spotted Anne's glowing red heart, still clutched in Cora's hand. If the red glow died, so did Anne. "She isn't lost to us yet," he assured Kenway. He then forced open Cora's hand, picking up the heart and carrying it to Snow. Hook knelt beside Anne, leaning over her. With great care Hook and Snow together placed Anne's heart back in her wounded chest. The wide gash in her chest closed as the heart returned to its rightful place. The heart shined gold this time, reversing the twisted dark magic Cora used to rip out the heart, and Snow was trying to hold herself together. The scene was highly disturbing, and involved friends, leaving Snow quite emotional.

Anne suddenly inhaled deeply, her muscles twitching as life returned. A look of confusion occupied her youthful face. Still intoxicated, she pointed a finger at Snow and said "You're not Mary." Snow smiled through her streaming tears, and looked up at Kenway and Hook.

The two pirate captains burst out laughing.


	7. Chapter 7: The Battle of Havana

The following morning, Prince James of the Enchanted Forest strolled along the grounds of Morro Castle, one of two fortress which protected Havana harbor's mouth. Castillo de San Salvador to the west also guarded the strategic port city. Each fortress held a garrison of several hundred Spanish soldiers, while dozens of cannon lined their battlements. Any vessel intent on attacking the city needed to penetrate the gauntlet created by the twin forts; such an act was no small accomplishment.

The Prince himself was a fair man, with neat blond hair and a shaven face. He wore a blue officer's uniform complete with steel chestplate. A longsword hung at his side, and a pistol sat holstered on his hip. While he did not anticipate entering battle today, James thought it best to be prepared.

James approached Admiral Heathrow, commanding officer of the Enchanted Forest Navy. Heathrow was a veteran of the Navy, having been in the Crown's service for over thirty years. He was also one of James' closest military advisers. The Admiral was busy conversing with the fort's Spanish commander when the Prince tapped him on the shoulder.

Heathrow turned around and faced James. He offered a salute, which the Prince returned. "Can I help you, Majesty?" he asked with a slight twitch of his mustache.

"Has there been any word on the _King Leopold_?"

"Nay, sir. She still hasn't entered the anchorage. Likely still searching for your wife, she is."

Snow's loss had left James distraught. Being separated from his true love was certainly not easy. Still, he and Snow were apart for long periods before, and James held faith in Snow's refined survival skills. Snow would find him again; James was sure of that. She always did.

A booming noise sounded in the distance. Less than a second later, several bricks flew free off the ramparts. A sentry screamed as he fell from the wall.

"We're under attack!" The fort commander yelled in Spanish. "All hands to quarters!"

James and Heathrow rapidly ascended a staircase leading to the battlements. Together both men looked outwards at the ocean, facing the threat incoming to Havana.

The sight was one they'd carry to the grave.

A line of fifty vessels, all of then with black hulls and sails, was making for the city. About half of the ships were men of war, first rate vessels carrying up to a hundred guns. The remaining vessels were a mix of frigates, brigs, schooners, sloops, and even a pair of galleys. Straining his vision, Prince James just barely made out the dark ensign of a mirror flying from the nearest ship's mainmast.

"It's the Queen," James informed Heathrow. "She's found us, but where is she?"

"That's one hell of a fleet she sent." Heathrow commented.

James faced the Admiral. "Get back to your ship," he ordered. "Take command of the fleet. I'll remain here to assist the defenders."

"Aye aye, sir." The ferocious ships were fast approaching and time they didn't have was running out.

While Heathrow departed Morro Castle, James returned his gaze to the fleet. His eyes singled out the largest attacking vessel: the first rate, 120-gun man o' war _Armageddon_. Queen Regina was aboard: he could sense the witch's taint.

Prince James drew his longsword, pointing the blade at the massive fleet. "Come to your death, monster!" he roared.

* * *

"By the Gods," Thomas remarked from behind his spyglass. "That's a huge fleet! I've never seen anything like it."

"Nor I," Tony added.

"Any idea what nation they serve?"

"Yes. Some call her Regina, others call her the Devil's Wife. She is known all over the world, and throughout many different realms, as the Evil Queen."

He and Tony both stood on the _Forsaken_'s quarterdeck, having been alarmed by the distant cannonfire. Even through the tangle of anchored warships, both men clearly made out the distinctive black sails of the incoming hostiles. Already the Spanish and Enchanted Forest vessels were weighing anchor and readying their guns. A fight to the death awaited.

Thomas pocketed his spyglass. "I doubt the Spanish will be able to hold the city against a force that size."

"Strength is in one's resolve my friend, not solely in numbers. If we are to survive this battle with the Evil Queen, we must have faith. She will stop at nothing to bring death to everyone we hold dear if we don't do something now"

The pirate captain looked at the warlock. "Tony, get yourself to the forts," he instructed. "The Queen will likely land troops on the beach east of town. From there, they'll attempt a ground assault. I'll remain here to assist the navy ships. We'll rendezvous at Cape Bonavista when this affair is over."

"No, Thomas. I won't leave you to fight the Queen alone. You don't have any idea what she's capable of!" Tony protested.

"Anthony we don't have time to argue. She will be here any minute! I can hold off her ships with my shipmates and the other ships, but I need you to help another location anticipating an ambush! I haven't got time to explain, just do as I say, please!" Thomas was desperate, the ships were halfway to the harbor.

"Remember Thomas: swords are no use against the Queen! You sink her ships and I'll kill her guards, but the Queen needs a different method! We will meet again. Ozspeed my friend!" And with that, Thomas nodded in salute, and Tony teleported off the ship in a flash of blue lightning (minus the thunder).

The guns of both Spanish fortresses boomed as the black ships came within range. The Queen's ships returned fire with cannon and mortar, striking the forts' stone walls with tremendous force. Smoke drifted off the water and into the city.

Thomas rapidly rang the ship's bell. "Weigh anchor and make sail!" he shouted to the pirate crew. "All hands to your stations!"

Five men immediately began heaving in on the capstan, dragging the ship's ponderous steel anchor up from the harbor floor. Another team of pirates climbed the rigging and worked to free the topsails forward and aft. Down below on the main and gun decks, all of the frigates forty-four cannons were loaded and run out through the gunports, their crews eager to engage the enemy. The mortar on the bow was uncovered and made ready. Boarding parties armed themselves with cutlasses, pistols, axes, and grappling lines.

At last the _Forsaken_ caught the wind and began inching her way towards the harbor mouth. John Cromwell, the ship's Quartermaster, raised the frigate's black flag: a skeletal pirate crushing a crown. Steering around the anchored warships, the _Forsaken_ made a turn to starboard and, on Thomas' order, fired a broadside at the nearest black man o' war. The shots struck the vessel, smashing holes in her hull and killing several of her crew. The _Forsaken_'s mortar then fired, its explosive shell setting fire to the black ship's sails. Morro Castle's guns let fly at the burning vessel, which started to sink slowly by the bow.

Thomas raised a fist. "Today we send the Devil herself back to hell!"

The pirate crew of the _Forsaken_ cheered in response. Cheers were replaced by cries moments later. The Evil Queens' flagship _Armageddon_ fired a single salvo, but no cannon balls leapt from the gunports. Instead, a strange, disgusting black liquid shot out from all sixty holes in the hull, and poured in bucket loads all over people, rigging, decks, and (most shockingly), the open cargo hatches of a Spanish ship close to Thomas'_ Forsaken._ A single fireball struck the oil-drenched ship while the crew was already screaming from swallowing some of the toxic liquid, and the entire vessel went up in flames.

"NO!" Thomas screamed, thinking of the friends and allies that were dying a terrible death. The carnage wasn't over yet, however. A second of the Evil Queen's men of war rammed the flaming ship dead center, breaking the ship almost in half, but not quite. Burning oil poured into the man of war's cargo holds, igniting both the powder reserves and the second gun deck. The man of war exploded in a flash of orange flame. Enormous sections of the two demolished ships flew in every direction, tearing the sails of the _Forsaken, _ and peppering her with more holes in her thick hull.

"Muster whatever speed you can lads! Hard to port!" Thomas ordered. He had his ship motionless for too long it was time to fire back.

Anthony appeared on the watch tower of Morro Castle, the fort closest to the enemy fleet, which Anthony suspected the Evil Queen would use to capture the city. He saw the friendly ship explode, and instantly grew angry at the god-forsaken Evil Queen. He reached out a hand towards his friend's ship, and his eyes lit again. Clouds rolled in and darkened the sky.

Thomas, back on his ship, noticed that the planks of wood in the decks were flashing every now and then faintly blue. He stepped over to the edge of the deck and leaned over, what he saw made him laugh with relief and motivation.

"We're mended, lads. Fire at will!" Thomas ordered. Anthony extended his fingers again, enacting another spell on his friend's ship. The cannons did not shoot iron cannonballs, but rather spiked iron balls filled with gunpowder. One salvo from the _Forsaken_ completely shattered the hull plating off of one of the Queen's men of war. Tony released his hand, but the spell remained. Another man of war moved abaft of the _Forsaken,_ preparing to attack the Fort.

"TAKE COVER! LOAD THE CANNONS! READY ON MY MARK GENTS!" Anthony knelt down behind the stone wall, and listened as the men loaded and aimed their massive iron cannons. Around Tony, gun crews worked furiously to load and fire at the enemy fleet. He found himself standing directly beside Prince James, who turned to face him.

"Hey!" said the alarmed Prince as he raised his sword. "Who are you?"

"My name is Anthony the Blue, I'm the King of Oz and I've come here to help you take down a Witch Queen. Would you like my biography or shall we continue saving each other's asses?"

"No, you're right. When this is done we'll have plenty of time!"

"We'll talk at the parade for the death of the Queen! READY ON THE LEFT? FIRE ALL!" Anthony ordered as all of the fort's cannons began to open fire, and Prince James ran down to the opposite end, repeating his orders so gun crews farther off could hear and react as well. The first salvo tore down the threatening man of war's three masts, rendering her handicapped, but still loaded.

"TRIM YOUR GUNS MATES! FIRE AT THE DECKS BLOW THEIR CARGO HOLDS! FIRE WHEN READY!" He yelled. The tension of the battle was growing with every plank shattered, every echoing scream of a dying friend, and every thundering shot fired at his best friend's ship down below. "PRINCE JAMES! I need you to take every man from this fort not on a gun and mount horses! Protect our shores to the east! The Queen may not be there but her thousand-man army very well could!"

"Alright! I'll go and do that! You shout my name if you ever need help or are surrounded! Thank you so much for helping! Good luck friend! We will do this!"

"FOR SNOW!" Tony yelled smiling. The gun crews reloaded, then fired again. Prince James smiled with a tear, missing his dear wife now more than ever.

Thomas, back on the _Forsaken_, was getting his arse handed to him. He himself had been beaten to a pulp with enormous flying debris every five seconds, and his ship was just the same. There were three men of war left, and two Enchanted Vessels. The Spanish vessels had all sunk during the engagement.

One of the men of war was barely making headway, getting fired at from both sides by Anthony's gun crew and Thomas' stubborn vessel. But it was too late to stop her. The ship opened a massive hatch in the hull, and deployed an entire battalion of knights wearing black armor. The knights, each armed with a sword and musket, stormed ashore just east of Morro Castle. The Evil Queen's Guard had arrived.

Prince James had massed together hundreds of soldiers from both forts, but time was too short and they were outnumbered. Anthony climbed up on top of the fort's stone wall, hoping not to fall, and raised both of his hands. With one, he made a rain of fireballs, targeting the remaining men of war, and with the other he formed a massive ditch with razor-sharp spears between Prince James' army and the Queen's. Thomas saw this and yelled at his crew, limping in severe pain back to the wheel of his ship.

"FIRE!" Thomas screamed, and turned his ship hard to starboard, targeting not one, but two men of war. He fired one salvo from the main gun deck, which blew clean off the bow of one of the Queen's men of war, and exploded the powder reserves of another. His crew cheered immensely with pride as they watched their enemy go down aflame to a watery grave.

Anthony's spells were suddenly interrupted however, and he was blasted back on the ground, now bleeding from his arms and head. The _Armageddon_, the last remaining man of war, fired all of her starboard guns at the watch tower, blowing it apart and leaving only a few feet of concrete in its place. Anthony had fallen with the tower, and was seconds from blacking out. He struggled to stand back up, and another blast struck the center wall of the Fort, temporarily deafening his ears, and pinning him by one arm to the ground under a pile of debris. He yelled with the sharp, never ending pain, and tried as hard as he could to not pass out from the blood loss or trauma. Then he remembered what Thomas said. The Evil Queen was here. Where the fuck was that twisted bitch? The coward didn't even show her face! Anthony cast one more spell. His eyes lit bright blue, and his gaze saw through the destroyed fort, the flaming men of war, and the now two-masted _Forsaken_. With what little strength he had left, he raised a hand and whispered a spell. A rush of air blew over Thomas, and all his wounds were perfectly healed. Prince James had lured most of the Queen's Guards down into the ditch of death, but not all, and was fighting three at a time with his soldiers.

Thomas, now perfectly healed but still scarred and covered in blood, ordered one more shot at the last remaining man of war. Fire and wood and iron exploded together, giving a powerful blow to the mighty floating beast.

"Come on, ya dullards! Give me your best damned shot!"

He ordered a second broadside and his enemy lost a few guns, giving Thomas a statistical advantage.

Anthony still had his hand raised, though no spell was being cast. He couldn't move, couldn't think and now heard hooves approaching him. He strained to look up and to his left, where the Evil Queen rode in. She dismounted her horse, and was wearing a gown made entirely of metal. Shards of blades stuck out like an angered porcupine on her horrifying "do not touch" themed armor. It had a low v-shaped neck line, and she wore diamonds for the occasion. her dress clanged like wind chimes as she walked towards him.

"You! You're Regina, the... Evil... BITCH..." He spat out blood at her. The Evil Queen chuckled.

"Bitch? Please. If I wanted you dead, I would have ripped you apart without moving a muscle. I wanted you alive, and unable to move so that you can watch as I kill everyone that called you a friend." She got too close to Anthony and her armor sliced through his skin like a cheese grater, and he used what little energy he had left to scream, and dropped his head while panting. The Queen ran her cursed fingers over his wounds, and licked the blood off her hand, moaning like a child eating cake. She loved it.

"Death looks good on you! And agony is most certainly your color. You don't have it in you to fight. Instead you'll be left here to suffer with your own regret, and the horrible realization of knowing that everyone you care for is about to be killed. Oh and this little battle on the water? I was never on any of those ships. You just exhausted your only means of defense before the real battle begins. What kind of warrior is that? You're going to lose, and you're all going to die. Enjoy that!" The Queen stood up again, smiling wider than ever, and walked off, and then disappeared in purple smoke. Anthony screamed at her with more anger than ever. In a blast of blue light he threw the debris off of him, and ran off to help Prince James continue fighting.

Thomas and his crew were cheering so loud the whole island could her them. He had single-handedly defeated every one of the Evil Queen's men of war. And though his ship was almost lost herself, she wasn't defeated. Thomas could barely stand, but he stood victorious.

Until the second fleet arrived.

Another squadron of the Queen's warships appeared on the northern horizon. Though smaller than the invasion fleet (about twenty vessels in total), this new squadron still carried enough cannon and troops to annihilate the remaining Spanish defenders.

Thomas spotted this incoming threat, and knew that his ship could not stand against it. Her mizzenmast was gone, and many of the crew were wounded or dead. The Spanish fleet was a burning wreck, along with the Enchanted Forest ships. One ship, no matter how powerful, could hope to defeat such a colossal enemy force, but do little more in reality. Thomas had drifted to the shore in his crippled ship, and took a leap of faith off the stern to meet with Anthony who was standing next to Prince James. They both looked overwhelmed, severely wounded, and tired.

"Thomas, thank heavens your still alive," Tony said to his old friend and hugged him.

"You helped me right in the nick of time, mate. I didn't even ask," Thomas said with a broken voice.

"Get used to it lad, it'll happen until I no longer breathe. That was quite a bloody battle. I did not think it would be half that bad, Now as you can see, we have more on our doorstep. What's our strategy now?" Tony asked. Thomas looked at Prince James, who looked off to the side, knowing where this was going.

"Tony, you can't be serious. We have nothing left. That battle took every ship in our fleets, and destroyed half the city. We cannot survive another attack from the Queen. If we stand and fight the Queen alone, we're all doomed. Retreat is the only option. Time Regina spends attacking can be used by us to find the Pieces of Eden and regroup with reinforcements," Thomas said.

"We can't let our friends and allies die in vain!" Tony shouted emotionally.

"If you stay here, you _will_ die! You're throwing your life away Anthony!" Thomas shouted back, equally as emotional.

"Are you saying you want to abandon me, then?" Thomas asked.

"No I am not, Thomas! I am saying I cannot ignore my duty, I would rather die trying than die running. I don't want to abandon you, but I can't leave these people to the false mercy of Regina."

"Then we have a stalemate," Thomas said, confused, stressed, and impatient.

Prince James, having been listening to this conversation, stepped in with a solution. "We can do both at once. Thomas, you sail on to find these Pieces of Eden, and regroup with the rest of your allies. I will sail with you. Anthony, that leaves the rest to you. Can you defend this island, on your own, from Regina and her forces of evil?"

They both looked at Tony. Thomas was the first to turn away. He thought this was a suicide mission.

"I swear on the grave of Ozma, I will use my last breath to stop the Queen. We can do this, Thomas. I know we can. I wish you would stay with me to help me fight, but I understand. And for the sake of , it helps too that you set out in search of the Pieces." Tony grabbed something out from his pocket and gave it to Thomas.

"What is it?" He asked.

"A Visionary. It will serve as communication between you and me, and if you smash it against your chest, it can send you back here to Havana. It is to be your last resort: a quick, safe getaway should you need it," Tony was having trouble breathing, his injuries and loss of energy made him severely weak, and now he was shedding tears.

"We can do this Thomas, you must succeed at all costs. Make haste, and I wish you safety in the next phase," Tony said. He gave a hug and pat his shoulder.

"I'll be back, with the rest of our Heroes. It's up to you now to stop Regina until we meet again, which we will," Thomas replied, returning the hug and pat.

On shore, Prince James and his army cut down the remaining knights. The surviving soldiers (only two dozen) let out a cheer as the last enemy fell. Tony then returned to the Prince's side, and together they sighted Regina's second fleet. With a heavy heart, Thomas ordered his quartermaster to set a course for Cape Bonavista. The defeated _Forsaken_ cruised westward, away from the battle, leaving Tony to deal with Regina alone.

Prince James thought it a suicide mission, but decided that it might prove useful. After all, it was Tony's life on the line, not his own. And if Tony succeeded, the outcome could certainly benefit the people of Havana. "Goodbye, Tony. Best of luck to you."

"Keep Thomas safe," he asked of James.

Tony saluted James, then continued on his way. He entered the city by drifting onto its shores, posing as a shipwreck victim. The Queen's forces passed him by, unaware of a survivor amongst the many, many dead. When night fell, Tony crawled off the beach unseen and unheard. Tony tried to enchant the _Forsaken _again, but he was too weak from the battle and watched silently as Thomas and James sailed off to Cape Bonavista.

* * *

As night fell upon the Island of Havana, the moon illuminated the horrible scene. Tony was still wearing the black cloak, but it was now torn all over and burnt, and stained with blood. His once green shirt and black shorts were also largely torn and ripped all over, exposing more skin and making him more vulnerable. He needed water to recharge his energy, and his magic alike. He collapsed with dehydration on the beach, and waved a hand over a wave. Each time water got close to him, it was turned into fresh water, which he drank. The more he drank, the more he healed. Within minutes his cuts, sprained bones, bruises, and gashes were gone. His veins flashed blue, telling him his magic was fully restored as well. A sigh of relief left his mouth.

Anthony pointed at the ground with his index finger, then spun it in a circling motion like a drill. The water level in the port city of Havana then fell by a dozen feet. This would restrict a huge ship such as the _Armageddon_ from getting anywhere near the shore. Then with his other hand, he quickly opened a fist, conjuring shoals of sharp rocks and large reefs to further threaten the bay. If any vessels were to navigate through, they'd have to be small and slow, like a fishing craft. No ponderous warship could hope to enter the harbor intact.

Satisfied that the harbor was closed to all military traffic, Tony turned his back to the beach, and began heading towards the ruined Fort.

Unbeknownst to Tony, Regina had reappeared. She was wearing a red velvet dress that was cut out from the middle, exposing her leather clad legs, and boots. The dress had diamonds all over the bell-shaped sleeves, and the large collar behind her neck. The bust and corset were studded in gems and glistened in the moonlight. She looked spectacular, showing more cleavage than usual.

Regina looked at the carnage as she walked on, smiling with the sight of so many corpses. Occasionally she would bend down and smile wider at individual dead bodies. It was as if she were walking through an amusement park with the excitement she expressed, but in reality it was a cold, recent graveyard, only the bodies were not underground. She truly was the Queen of Death.

"Victory always comes with great sacrifice, I know dear. But it would seem sacrifice is overrated!" She laughed to herself again, talking to one of the corpses. She looked behind her where another corpse _was_ but now was gone.

Suddenly, there was a massive explosion, which sent Regina flying backwards into the water.

The Queen struggled to her feet, weighed down by her wet clothing."Who the hell did that?!" she screamed menacingly. "Show yourself!"

Tony complied, and his eyes never shined brighter.

"YOU! YOU KILLED EVERY ONE OF MY ALLIES TODAY AND ALMOST KILLED MY FRIEND. YOU'RE DOOMED! YOU'RE DOOMED FOREVER!" Anthony yelled at the top of his lungs, then cast three spells simultaneously at Regina. He wasn't trying to kill her; he knew he couldn't do that. He was instead putting up hundreds of layers to the shield he created, using everything he had to prevent Regina from resisting. He would stay there as long as it took. He was determined to use his magic to imprison Regina where she stood. He held on as hard as he possibly could, sweating and trembling with so much effort.

"I can stay here all day Regina! You're not going anywhere now!" Anthony cheered. He realized he would have to maintain this level of magic. If he slacked even in the slightest, Regina would take his heart.

"I'll finish you later," the Queen sneered. She shoved her beautiful hands towards Anthony's direction and he was flown through the air backwards, hitting his back on a nearby rock. He had literally been beaten to almost a pulp today and that was the last blow his human body could take. Regina walked up to him, as he was unable to do anything for the moment.

"It didn't have to end this way, King. You and those other idiots made me this way. And now? You're going to lose everything you fought so hard to build. Your world is burning under your own rotten fingers, and you will stay right here! Where you belong! NOTHING WILL TEAR ME AWAY FORM MY REVENGE! DID YOU THINK YOU COULD STOP ME SO EASILY? Stop denying who I am, Anthony. You cannot defeat me, so don't even try, that is if you enjoy... Thomas McNally, is it? Would be such a shame if anything tragic should happen to him on his noble quest to find Pieces of Eden, wouldn't it?" The Queen waved a hand and Anthony spun around in the air again, and hit the same rock, this time with his head knocking him out on the sand. The Evil Queen knelt down beside his unconscious body, and punched her hand through his chest. She held his incredibly brightly glowing red heart in her hands, and held it tighter. Normally this would be immeasurable amounts of torture, but he was unconscious and felt nothing.

"I'm going to rip your friendships apart from the inside out, and none of you will suspect a thing. By the time you wake up, I'll have blackened everything you hold dear," The Queen Turned on her heel and disappeared in a cloud of violet smoke and laughed, leaving the Blue Wizard standing alone on the sandy shore. He was now, with her absence, able to move again.

There was a rustling noise in the bushes a few yards away from Anthony the Blue, and though he had indeed saved what was left of Havana (it was true that Regina had not captured the island, Anthony stalled her and after she ripped his heart out, vanished), but it was devastated. the rustling continued, and a massive fifteen foot long werewolf crawled out, growling, looking where the Queen stood a few moments ago. The wolf trotted up to Anthony and sniffed him. Somehow the wolf knew he was alive, just barely. The wolf bit Anthony's collar in its mouth, and pulled him more ashore.


	8. Chapter 8: Werewolf

The afternoon before Cora's death, the pirate ship _Adventure_ came alongside the man o' war _King Leopold_. Killian Jones, Edward Kenway, and Snow White were welcomed aboard by Logan Doyle, the _Leopold_'s Captain. Doyle himself was a career sailor, with weathered skin and dark hair. His appearance suggested that he was around fifty years of age but still in good physical condition. After a brief greeting, Doyle escorted the guests to his personal cabin. Like the rest of his vessel, Doyle's cabin was lavishly decorated, complete with paintings, wooden relief carvings, and ornate navigation instruments. Captain Doyle took a seat behind his wide desk, with Snow, Kenway, and Hook sat facing the officer. There, seated around Doyle's desk, they held a private meeting.

"Your Majesty," began Doyle, addressing Snow, "it's so good to see you safe."

"Thank you, Logan," she said with a light smile.

Doyle turned his eyes to Kenway and Hook. "And you gentleman I don't believe I've met. You are ..."

"Captain Edward Kenway, of the _Adventure_. Formerly of the _Jackdaw_."

"I'm Killian Jones, Captain of the _Jolly Roger_."

"Ah yes. Welcome aboard, lads. I have heard much about both of you and let me say, I'm glad you're on my side."

A look of unease crossed Doyle's face for a fraction of a second. He knew of Kenway's reputation as a ruthless pirate, and having the man aboard failed to put Doyle at ease. Similarly, Hook was formerly an officer in the Enchanted Forest Navy. The fact that he turned pirate made him less than trustworthy. Doyle felt his left hip, checking for his saber. It was still there. Doyle contained himself, despite the feeling of uneasiness.

"Has there been any word on my husband?" Snow asked of Doyle. Her face was one of deep concern and a feeling of a lone heart. She yearned to be by her true love's side again, but as usual, fate set them apart for the time being.

The senior Captain looked down at his desk for a second. Clearly he did not bear promising news. Snow's face fell from concerned, to sad.

"Your Majesty," Doyle continued, "this ship was ordered by the Prince to remain behind and search for you. He carried on to Havana, with the rest of our fleet. We have not seen or heard from His Majesty since then."

There was an awkward silence. Snow and Doyle both knew, or at least accurately assumed, that some time after James arrived in Havana, he was greeted oh so warmly by their dear friend the Evil Queen, and therefore would be in mortal danger. Hence their lack of communication thus far.

Snow visibly frowned. "So what's our next course of action? Sail on to Havana?"

"Now that you're safe, your Majesty, I believe so." Doyle looked at Hook and Kenway. "Unless you two gentlemen have any objections?"

Silence for a second.

"Alright then-" Captain Doyle started but was interrupted at the last moment. This grabbed Hook and Snow's attention.

"I object," Kenway declared.

"For what reason?" inquired Doyle.

"My wife. Her name's Caroline. She was abducted by Cora, the Queen of Hearts. Captain Hook and Mrs. White have agreed to help rescue her. I ask that you and your ship sail with us until Caroline is safe."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then good luck fighting the Evil Queen without us," Snow said. The mere mention of Regina brought back unpleasant memories to Doyle .

Kenway stared menacingly at Doyle. The naval officer put a hand on his saber's hilt. Given their social positions, neither man was fond of other, and their disagreement only furthered that mistrust.

"Gentlemen please," Snow intervened, "we can all get what we need. Logan, you must reunite me with James, as per his orders. And Edward, your wife needs rescuing. Given the nature of Caroline's capture, she is in far greater peril than Prince James."

"She's likely being held at Regina's fortress," Hook added. "The Evil Queen has an entire fleet stationed around the island, not to mention an army of knights. You'll need your own fleet and army to get inside, and even then you're facing the Queen all by your self which would be a rather short visit for you I gather."

"Charming has one anchored in Havana, a fleet I mean," continued Snow. "Edward, sail me to Havana, and I'll see to it that my husband's ships join your assault against Regina. She can't be allowed to keep killing entire cities, Havana is only the beginning don't kid your self with her."

Kenway released a sigh. This negotiation had failed to go as planned. But then again, he trusted Snow's word. And while Kenway was usually loath to cooperate with royals, he would do so now. If only for Caroline's sake.

"Alright mate, we have a deal," agreed Kenway as he stood up, beginning to really hate that word now.

Doyle pushed back his chair and rose to his feet, then shook hands with both pirate captains.

"Thank you gentleman," Doyle said with conclusion. "Please return to your ships. We'll make for Havana at once."

Kenway and Hook turned to leave, making their way out of the cabin. Snow began following them.

"Wait, Princess," Doyle called. "Where are you going?"

Snow stopped mid-stride, looking over her left shoulder at the Captain. "To sail with Captain Kenway. Don't worry, Logan. I'll be fine."

With that, Snow departed the cabin, leaving Captain Logan Doyle standing alone.

* * *

Two days after the meeting (and one day following the death of Cora Mills), all was much improved. The convoy of three vessels sailed in a horizontal line, with the _Adventure_ taking the lead. The _Jolly Roger_ followed behind, while the _King Leopold_ took up the rear. Overhead the sun shone brightly, while an easterly wind propelled the ships towards Havana. Off to port, the Cuban coast was already in sight.

Snow White remained aboard the _Adventure_. Given her anxiety about seeing her Prince again, Snow found it difficult to keep her mind occupied. Likewise Kenway suggested that she get involved with the work aboard ship. Currently Snow, along with a team of pirates, were hauling in on the mizzensail, singing a shanty as they did so.

"The Captain he will trim the sails," sang the team leader.

"Way me boys, to Cuba," the team sang back.

"Wingin' the water over the rail," sang Snow, ahead of the team leader.

The team leader shot her a look as if to say "what the heck was that?" One by one all the deck mates stopped singing and turned to look at the mystery woman singing oddly perfectly. When the last person stopped, one man at the bow laughed in hysterics and his faint laughter echoed in the warm breeze. Snow blushed with embarrassment after seeing Kenway smile ear to ear, trying desperately not to laugh, and Snow smiled too, knowing this singing was a crew thing only in tradition, then the work continued. Minutes later the mizzensail was properly trimmed, the line tied off, and the crew dismissed.

Snow began making her way forward, prepared to go below. Hopefully there wouldn't be any more shanties sung during work today. She didn't want another incident like that.

"Still getting used to a pirate's life?" Kenway asked Snow from the quarterdeck. The Welsh pirate was standing at the helm.

Snow crossed to the quarterdeck, standing beside Kenway.

"Indeed, Edward," she said, answering his question. "On my husband's ship, I wasn't expected to work the deck. In truth I was only a passenger."

"Aye. But aboard this ship, every man does his share, myself included. The articles demand it."

"So I've noticed. What else do these articles govern?"

"Smoke!" shouted a lookout from the rigging. "Port bow!"

Snow and Kenway both looked in the indicated direction. A cloud of black smoke was billowing from the island's coast. What was producing such an unholy mess? It must be huge, no matter the cause. Kenway handed the wheel off to Snow, telling her to steer a course of two-seven-zero. Upon reaching the port rail, Kenway drew his spyglass, focusing on the smoke's point of origin. The cause of the smoke became more apparent as the ship sailed further west. At last, Kenway saw it.

Morro Castle. The fort was in ruins, its walls scorched from raging fires. No sentries stood on the ramparts. Many of the fortress' cannon were off their carriages, dislodged by explosions or impacts. In the waters north of the destroyed fort drifted numerous shipwrecks in various states of destruction. Some wrecks floated, devoid of their crews, while others slowly sank, dragged down by flooding holds. One ship had completely capsized, with her keel facing the sky. More smoke drifted off the charred hulks. Most of the wrecks were men of war, sporting black hulls and black sails. A lone ensign, a black banner displaying the white image of a mirror with red flames atop, still flew from one wreck's mainmast.

"A battle," Kenway thought aloud as he lowered his spyglass. "But who was fighting? Other than the Spanish."

Returning to the helm, Kenway handed his spyglass to Snow, and took the wheel himself. He gave an order to furl more sails and slow their speed. The water was dropping its depth rapidly, and what little room there was in the harbor was now dotted with half sunken flaming wrecks.

"Do you recognize that flag?" Kenway asked of Snow as he pointed out the black ensign.

Snow raised the spyglass, focusing on the flag Kenway indicated. She lowered the spyglass almost immediately. A look of grief appeared on her youthful face, and a tear in her right eye.

"It's Regina," said Snow on the edge of sobbing. "She attacked the city."

Well this doesn't bode well, Kenway thought.

Kenway steered the _Adventure_ closer to the abandoned Morro Castle. As the three ships approached the mouth of Havana harbor, the full scale of Queen Regina's attack became devastatingly apparent. The cloud of smoke billowed from a ruined city. Many homes and businesses were aflame, their fires illuminating the mostly vacant streets. Several structures had already burned down completely. One such building, a waterfront warehouse, was now little more than a pile of smoldering ash. The once great city of Havana had been reduced to a demolished ruin. Though completely destroyed, Regina's flag did not fly from a single pole on shore,and the only remaining flag they did see, was on a sunken ship. Snow and Kenway now both agreed someone friendly must assuredly still be alive, but too they thought. most assuredly literally only one person.

Dozens of shipwrecks littered the harbor, merchant vessels and warships alike. A torn flag drifted close to the _Adventure_'s port stern. Kenway instantly recognized the damaged flag as the Spanish Royal Ensign, informing him that the destroyed warships belonged to the Spanish Navy. An entire squadron reduced to splintered timbers and floating corpses. This could only be the work of the Evil Queen. No other fleet had the capability to wreak so much destruction in a single attack.

"Edward," called Snow. "Look." She pointed out a particular shipwreck. "That's the ship James and I were on when I got swept overboard."

The vessel was a man o' war, sporting the same white hull and gold trimmings as the _King Leopold_. As the _Adventure_ approached the ruined vessel, their worst fears were confirmed. The ship Prince James was last aboard sank in battle; a total loss. Judging by the wrecks surrounding the ruined man o' war, both Snow and Kenway assumed that the entire Enchanted Forest fleet was destroyed in the fighting.

"No, no, no, NO! He is still alive, I know it!" Snow cried out, barely believing her eyes.

"How can you know that for sure, Snow? You must prepare yourself to find out the worst may yet have happened," Kenway shouted back, feeling horrible for her, but also wanting her to avoid denial.

"Okay. You're right, Kenway. Let's go ashore and see for our selves then If he survived he would have made a shelter and waited until he had a plan to leave and find me again I know it!" Snow replied.

"Alright, but I don't want a large shore party. Anne, maintain the ship and crew until we return. Snow, stay with me," Kenway ordered. Anne nodded and began shouting out anchorage orders, preparing the ship for an extended stay at anchor. The whaleboat was readied and lowered away with Snow, Kenway, and several weapons aboard. Snow had her longbow and arrows, and Kenway wore his cutlasses, hidden blades, blowpipe, and pistols.

Kenway rowed them ashore as the sun rose to just about noontime. When they beached their boat ashore, they both jumped out and strapped their weapons on, loaded up with ammo, and Kenway grabbed his compass just in case. Just as they were ready to head towards the destroyed city, Snow strayed far to the right.

"Snow. Snow what is it?" he asked, following her now. She wasn't saying anything.

"Snow what is the matter with you? Answer me!" She stopped suddenly and was now holding an earring, looking mortified.

"Do you know what this is?" She asked, showing it to him. There was blood and sand on the black, shiny earring. It was shaped like an apple. "It's Regina's. She came on land herself at some point in this battle." There was a large piece of cloth from a black cloak in the sand, which Snow noticed. She walked around a little bit more and spotted deep tracks in the damp sand, where it appeared someone was forced away from where the robe section lay. Snow recognized the tracks as the paw prints of an unusually large wolf. A nearby boulder had blood all over it, and more of the cloak.

"Someone was beaten here, probably to death. I appreciate your care Snow, but if we're going to find Prince James we must-" Kenway was interrupted.

"Edward, look." Snow pointed at the wolf tracks in the sand. A wide trail ran alongside the paw prints, like the animal was dragging something. Snow began following the trail of paw prints.

"Lass, you're killing me," Kenway sighed, but followed behind Snow. "What the devil?" He noticed the wolf prints were now replaced by human footprints, and the wide track was now gone as well. "What the hell is going on here, Snow?" He was confused, annoyed, and wanted answers immediately. By now the sun was setting and night was closing in.

"It's my friend, Ruby! She must have found someone on the beach. What if she found my husband and brought him to shore? She is a werewolf, by the way. Guess I forgot to mention that. She wears a red hood that allows her to become human, too."

Kenway held his head while shaking it. He could scarcely believe how crazy Snow's words sounded. First sorceresses, now werewolves. What was next? Dragons? Giant Squid? This could potentially get much worse.

Snow broke into a run, following the footprints to their destination, with Kenway hurrying behind. When they reached it, what they found was not what they expected, but was wonderful just the same. It was inside of Morro Castle, an armory by the looks of it. Or rather it used to be an armory. Now it was a sleeping room, kitchen, and shelter. Shelter, that is, for both Ruby and an unknown man, whom Ruby was looking after intently. The stranger's wounds were steadily healing but were great in number. The remains of the black cloak Snow recognized from the beach was hanging by the fire after being resewed. Only Ruby was awake at the moment, tending to her guest's multiple wounds.

Ruby looked back at the room's entrance when she heard nearing footsteps. She wore a scarlet hooded cloak over a dirtied brown dress. A dagger hung from her belt. She reached for its hilt, then withdrew her hand when she spotted the loving face of her dearest friend.

"Snow?" she asked in disbelief. "Is that you?"

"Yes Ruby, it's me," Snow replied with a smile.

Ruby jumped up and embraced Snow White, squealing with joy and delight.

"I take it you two know each other," commented Kenway.

"We do," Snow confirmed as she released Ruby. "Edward, this is Ruby. She's an old friend of mine."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Edward," Ruby said in greeting.

"Likewise, Ruby."

Kenway noticed the stranger lying on Ruby's makeshift bed in the corner. He was now awake, and likely wondering just who Kenway and Snow were. Or wondering where he was, for that matter. The young man seemed disoriented and confused.

"Where am I?" he asked weakly, his voice barely audible.

Ruby returned to the stranger's bedside. "Morro Castle," she said. "You were badly wounded during the battle. I brought you here to recover."

"Thank you, miss..."

"Ruby."

"What's your name, lad?" Kenway inquired. He stood near the foot of the bed.

"Anthony the Blue," answered the stranger. "You can call me Tony though. I'm a wizard, and King of-"

At these words, Kenway leapt atop Tony, his right hidden blade drawn. Tony groaned in pain as the pirate landed on his injured body.

"A wizard, eh? And a royal" Kenway taunted as he held the blade close to Tony's neck. "I'll bet you're in league with the Queen!"

Ruby stood up and grabbed Kenway's right arm, restraining him from striking. "Edward, stop!" she cried. "He's not a threat to us."

"How do you know that? I still don't trust you Wizard! Who told you of our location?" Kenway shouted. Anthony did too with the weight on his sprained ribs.

"Kenway stop!" Snow added. "If he was dangerous, Ruby would've killed him or left him on the beach to die!" Tony stopped screaming and looked Kenway in the eye. His own eyes lit blue, startling Kenway a little. He watched as the hidden blade he was threatening Tony with turned into a useless leaf.

"Whether you trust me or not is your business, Sir. Mine however is taking down the Evil Queen. I was sent here by Lady Glinda after ridding my country of six infamously powerful villains, and now have come to you to help you defeat yours: Regina. I swear to you I am your ally," Tony explained, angered by the threat.

"Makes sense, I suppose," Kenway released his hold on Tony and his eyes dimmed back to normal again while Kenway's hidden blade changed back as well.

Footsteps sounded beyond the chamber walls, followed by someone calling out orders. Alarmed, Kenway reached for his cutlasses, while Snow unslung her longbow. Ruby unsheathed her dagger.

"A patrol," Ruby warned in a near whisper. "They must be hunting for survivors."

"They won't find any here," remarked Snow, her voice also quiet.

Kenway crept on all fours to the stairway's entrance, careful not to make any noise that might draw attention. The sun had fallen below the horizon, casting shadows about the landscape. In the fort's darkened courtyard stood a patrol of six soldiers, all wearing black plate armor and carrying lit torches. Each man, Kenway noticed, was also armed with a longsword. One soldier sat upon an armored white stallion. His sword was drawn, it's steel blade glimmering with the torchlight. Kenway immediately deduced that the mounted soldier commanded the patrol.

"Spread out!" the mounted soldier barked. "Search for anyone still alive."

"Right away, Sir," a soldier called back.

The patrol separated, with each man going off in a different direction. One soldier approached the armory's entrance, right where Kenway hid in the shadows. The pirate retreated back down the stairs and into the armory. He took cover around the corner from the stairway.

"Who's out there?" Snow asked in a low voice. She and Ruby had extinguished the room's fire and now stood with weapons readied.

Kenway looked in their direction. "Six armed soldiers and... Sshh!"

Footsteps sounded on the stone stairway. Two seconds later, a lone soldier entered the armory. His sword was drawn, held firmly in his right hand, and a torch in his left. Kenway, Snow, Ruby, and Tony all held their breath as the intruder took several more steps into the room.

Suddenly the soldier let out a muffled cry of pain. His torch fell to the floor, while his sword clattered on the stone beneath it. Kenway had departed his hiding place, grabbed the soldier's mouth, and fatally stabbed him in the back with a hidden blade. The soldier spasmed once, then fell limp in Kenway's arms. Satisfied that his opponent was dead, Kenway lowered the soldier's body to the floor. He picked up the fallen man's sword and tossed it to Tony. The warlock, now standing beside Ruby, caught the longsword by the hilt.

"What was that for?" Snow asked Kenway, not approving of the soldier's death.

"Taking out a threat," he answered. "Brutal, but needed."

Tony put on his new robe Ruby had made for him- a long sleeved white robe hooded and that turned blue towards the bottom. He was now officially ready to get back in the fight.

The pirate, princess, werewolf, and wizard all ascended the stairway into the courtyard. They kept to the shadows to avoid detection. The soldiers were separated; each man searched a different area of the fortress, unwittingly making themselves easy targets. With careful execution, their unseen enemies could dispatch all of the soldiers without a sound.

Taking cover behind a pile of concrete rubble, Kenway unsheathed his blowpipe and took aim at the soldier nearest him. The soldier was inside the fort's ruined barracks. Exhaling into the pipe caused a single dart to launch from its muzzle. The dart flew across the yard, through a broken window, and found its target: the nape of the soldier's neck. Seconds later, the soldier collapsed to the barracks floor, lifeless.

Up on the ramparts, another soldier lost his life, an arrow protruding from his chest. He fell from the wall and landed heavily on the ground. Fortunately, no one except Snow heard the impact.

A third soldier, this one searching a powder magazine, happened on a survivor. The man was badly wounded, and seemed barely alive. But as the soldier knelt down to help the injured man, he felt an invisible hand on his throat. Alarmed, the soldier fought to regain his breathing, but to no avail. Seconds later, his neck snapped, and Tony departed the magazine.

Hidden from view, Ruby stripped off her robe. She transformed into a strong, swift, 200 lb wolf in the moonlight. A predatory howl echoed across the fort's stone walls as Ruby lifted her head upwards.

"Wolf!" a soldier exclaimed. "Let's get outta here!"

"Stay your ground, boy!" barked the mounted soldier.

The dismounted soldier never spoke again. Ruby sprinted from the shadows and leapt onto him, biting the young soldier in the neck. The mounted soldier spotted Ruby making her attack, thanks to her victim's torch.

"Die, beast!" growled the mounted soldier as he drew a pistol.

A gunshot rang out. The mounted soldier groaned and fell off the stallion, his blood pooling around him. Kenway fanned away the gun smoke and reloaded his pistol, holstering it.

The patrol was wiped out.

* * *

The night before Snow and Kenway discovered Tony and Ruby, Ruby had witnessed a man she had never seen before take on the Evil Queen all by himself and not die. Granted he was very close to it, she thought to herself, but as she knew well, anyone who fights against Regina is a sure friend of hers. In wolf form she witnessed the duel and saw Regina disappear in a cloud of purple smoke, and the man fell on the beach drained of almost everything. He had passed out from blood loss by now and she dragged his limp body along the beach in her snout towards an alcove in the ruined Morro Castle. She lit a fire and began dressing and cleaning his wounds. The bleeding had stopped, but only thanks to his big cloak, now covered in dirt and sand, could fatally infect him if she didn't help him. A few hours later,some of the wounds she cleaned stung so sharply he was startled and awoke from his sleep.

"Who are you? Where am I what's going on?" he asked her. He thought he knew who she was but wanted her to say it just to make sure.

"Quiet, not so loud stranger. My name is Ruby or Red Riding Hood whichever you prefer, and I'm healing your terrible wounds the Queen really beat the life out of you didn't she? I saw the whole thing you know, the battle between just you and her. That was incredible no one has ever taken on the Queen single-handedly and not died. Granted you're pretty close to it but you didn't. We could use that in this war." She said nicely. the man smiled through the sweat and dirt and blood. he tensed up the more she cleaned him with water from the beach. The salt is what stung most.

"My name is Anthony but you can call me Tony. Thank you for healing me, I am in your debt Ruby," she smiled back with her beautiful chocolate brown hair and red velvet robe. "I am a wizard and King of Oz. I was not alone, though. I came with an old friend of mine, Captain Thomas McNally, on his ship. We were attacked by Regina and her guards and her fleet. It was terrible. I've never fought someone so hell-bent on bringing so much death and destruction. Anyway, I was sent here by Lady Glinda to come to help you all take down the Queen since I've dealt with her type so much over the past ten cycles- I mean um seven years," Tony explained.

"Your friend? Where is he now?" She asked.

"He left. We were separated after the battle. He went to go find Snow White, and pirate Captains Kenway and Hook to regroup and bring them here," He neglected to tell her the second, more important reason: to find Pieces of Eden.

"I see well hopefully everyone will return and we will be stronger than ever in numbers and might!" Ruby was motivated, this all was great news for their cause. But then her smile turned to a horrified look of concern for him.

"Anthony, there's something you should know," she frowned.

"What?" he asked afraid a bit.

"There was something else I saw when you almost died on the beach with the Queen."

"What happened?"

"She took your heart, Anthony."


End file.
